Graphic Designers salary in Nashville, TN

Median pay for graphic designers in Nashville, TN: $49,660/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $29,120 – $86,740 · about 1,700 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$345 (-1%).

What it's really worth in Nashville

With Nashville's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $49,660 has the buying power of about $51,183 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $79,020 · median home $455,958 · median rent $1,798/mo.

Full Nashville cost of living & taxes →

How Nashville ranks for this job

On raw pay, Nashville, TN is 102nd of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Nashville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 126th.

The headline number flatters Nashville. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, graphic designers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Nashville

A median home in Nashville, TN costs $455,958 — about 9.2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,798/mo works out at 43% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Nashville.

Metro	Median pay	vs Nashville	Rent vs Nashville
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+94%	2×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+86%	1.8×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+61%	1.3×
New York, NY	$75,900	+53%	1.9×

Same job elsewhere in TN

Metro	Median pay	vs Nashville	Rent vs Nashville
Knoxville, TN	$49,510	+0%	1×
Memphis, TN	$47,520	−4%	0.8×
Clarksville, TN	$46,630	−6%	0.7×
Chattanooga, TN	$46,040	−7%	0.9×

Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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