Quick answer (as of November 2026) Union City, in Obion County, is the cheapest place to live in Tennessee among cities of 10,000 or more people, measured by median home value. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey puts it at $146,000, about half the statewide median of $286,700. Paris ($163,600), Dyersburg ($168,300), Memphis ($169,000) and Elizabethton ($172,900) round out the five cheapest. Paris also has the lowest property tax of the 15 at its median value, about $724 a year on 2025 rates. Within an hour of downtown Nashville, Springfield in Robertson County is the cheapest, at a $253,600 median home value and about 36 minutes to the State Capitol with no traffic.
You've priced a few houses around Nashville and now you're wondering where in Tennessee the numbers actually work. Most "cheapest places" lists won't tell you where their figures came from, so you can't check them. This one uses the government's own numbers, gives the date on each, and tells you exactly how the ranking was built.
I moved my family here from California, and I live in Canterbury in Thompson's Station. Fair warning: the towns I sell in most aren't cheap, and you'll see that below. If you're planning a move and want help figuring out where your budget goes furthest, DM me, text or call 615-392-1186.
What is the cheapest place to live in Tennessee?
Union City is the cheapest place to live in Tennessee among the state's 63 incorporated cities and towns with at least 10,000 residents, on median home value. Its median is $146,000 in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, against $286,700 for Tennessee and $332,700 for the U.S.
Here are the 15 Tennessee cities with the lowest median home values, as of November 2026.
| Rank | City (county) | Median home value | Median gross rent | 2025 property tax rate, city plus county, per $100 assessed | Rough yearly tax at the median value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union City (Obion) | $146,000 | $739 | $2.8330 | $1,034 |
| 2 | Paris (Henry) | $163,600 | $780 | $1.7694 | $724 |
| 3 | Dyersburg (Dyer) | $168,300 | $782 | $3.5900 | $1,510 |
| 4 | Memphis (Shelby) | $169,000 | $1,181 | $5.2708 | $2,227 |
| 5 | Elizabethton (Carter) | $172,900 | $740 | $3.9200 | $1,694 |
| 6 | Morristown (Hamblen) | $181,100 | $882 | $2.2524 | $1,020 |
| 7 | McMinnville (Warren) | $182,200 | $791 | $2.5303 | $1,153 |
| 8 | Lawrenceburg (Lawrence) | $184,600 | $775 | $3.1081 | $1,434 |
| 9 | Bristol (Sullivan) | $194,500 | $842 | $3.4579 | $1,681 |
| 10 | Martin (Weakley) | $198,300 | $859 | $3.2930 | $1,633 |
| 11 | Millington (Shelby) | $207,300 | $1,111 | $3.8900 | $2,016 |
| 12 | East Ridge (Hamilton) | $211,100 | $1,147 | $2.3150 | $1,222 |
| 13 | Jackson (Madison) | $217,800 | $1,145 | $3.4850 | $1,898 |
| 14 (tie) | Athens (McMinn) | $225,000 | $846 | $2.0901 | $1,176 |
| 14 (tie) | Clinton (Anderson) | $225,000 | $962 | $2.0151 | $1,133 |
Home values and rents come from the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25077 and B25064. Tax rates come from the Tennessee Comptroller's 2025 Tax Aggregate Report, Table VI. The yearly tax is the median value times 25 percent times the rate, divided by 100. Paris homes inside the Paris Special School District can carry that district's $0.3176 rate on top, so check the address.
Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.
How was this ranking of the cheapest cities in Tennessee built?
The ranking takes every incorporated Tennessee city or town with 10,000 or more residents in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, 63 places in all, and sorts them by median home value, lowest first. Unincorporated Census-designated places and towns under 10,000 people aren't included. Anyone can rebuild it from the Census summary file tables named above.
Median home value is what owners told the Census the home was worth, collected from 2020 to 2024. It runs behind today's asking prices, but it's the one measure the Census publishes the same way for every city in the state. That's why I used it instead of a mix of listing sites.
Survey numbers carry margins of error. Union City's median is plus or minus $21,993 and Paris's is plus or minus $29,372, so the top four are close enough to call a near tie. The order holds up better for big cities: Memphis's margin is $3,795.
Which Tennessee cities have the lowest rent?
Greeneville, in Greene County, has the lowest median gross rent of Tennessee's 63 cities over 10,000 people, at $650 a month in the 2020 to 2024 Census survey. Union City ($739), Elizabethton ($740), Lawrenceburg ($775) and Paris ($780) come next. The statewide median is $1,189 and the U.S. median is $1,413.
Gross rent is the contract rent plus utilities and fuel when the renter pays them, so it's closer to what a month actually costs. Like home values, it's a survey average across 2020 to 2024, so check current rents in any town on your list.
Do cheap homes mean low property taxes in Tennessee?
Not always. Memphis has the fourth-lowest median home value on the list and the highest combined property tax rate of all 63 cities, $5.2708 per $100 of assessed value in 2025, per the Tennessee Comptroller. On a $169,000 home that's roughly $2,227 a year, more than three times the Paris figure on a similar house.
Tennessee taxes a home on 25 percent of its appraised value, and the county and any city each add a rate. The Comptroller's report puts it this way: "Tax rates are set by the governing bodies of the counties and municipalities." A low price with a high rate can cost you more each year than a pricier house with a low one.
Rates also move. When a county reappraises, it usually resets its rate, so treat the 2025 numbers as a starting point and check the current bill on the address you want.
Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.
Which part of Tennessee has the lowest cost of living?
The Jackson metro area had the lowest overall price level of Tennessee's ten metro areas in 2024, at 85.5 with the U.S. at 100, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Morristown and Kingsport-Bristol were next at 86.4 each. The Nashville metro was the highest at 96.3.
Jackson, Morristown and Bristol are all in the ranking above, so BEA's price levels and the Census home values point the same way. BEA says housing rents are often the main driver of the differences. BEA's 2024 housing price level is 56.5 for Kingsport-Bristol and 56.6 for Jackson, against 104.6 for the Nashville metro.
For the whole-state picture, Tennessee against the U.S. on taxes, utilities and gas, read my cost of living in Tennessee guide.
What are the cheapest places to live near Nashville?
Springfield, in Robertson County, is the cheapest Tennessee city of 10,000 or more people within an hour of downtown Nashville. Its median home value is $253,600 in the 2020 to 2024 Census survey, and it's about 28 miles and 36 minutes from the State Capitol with no traffic. Portland, Dickson and Columbia follow, all under $310,000.
Here are the 12 cities within an hour of the Capitol whose median home value is below Nashville's own $413,600, as of November 2026.
| City | County | Drive to the State Capitol, no traffic | Median home value | Median gross rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | Robertson | about 28 miles, 36 minutes | $253,600 | $1,139 |
| Portland | Sumner | about 42 miles, 52 minutes | $282,200 | $1,141 |
| Dickson | Dickson | about 41 miles, 51 minutes | $292,600 | $1,063 |
| Columbia | Maury | about 48 miles, 59 minutes | $308,700 | $1,197 |
| La Vergne | Rutherford | about 18 miles, 34 minutes | $309,900 | $1,805 |
| White House | Sumner and Robertson | about 26 miles, 35 minutes | $344,800 | $1,426 |
| Smyrna | Rutherford | about 22 miles, 33 minutes | $358,300 | $1,461 |
| Gallatin | Sumner | about 29 miles, 39 minutes | $372,000 | $1,395 |
| Lebanon | Wilson | about 30 miles, 41 minutes | $378,400 | $1,306 |
| Goodlettsville | Davidson and Sumner | about 15 miles, 24 minutes | $381,900 | $1,385 |
| Fairview | Williamson | about 27 miles, 41 minutes | $390,200 | $1,301 |
| Murfreesboro | Rutherford | about 31 miles, 43 minutes | $402,100 | $1,481 |
Drives were measured on November 5, 2026 with OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) from each city's Census internal point to the State Capitol, with no traffic. Rush hour adds to every one of them. Columbia sits right at the hour line. Just past it are Clarksville in Montgomery County (about 63 minutes, $263,600), Lewisburg in Marshall County (about 69 minutes, $225,700) and Shelbyville in Bedford County (about 70 minutes, $244,000).
Property tax in this group runs from $1.8904 in Fairview to $3.2888 on the Davidson County side of Goodlettsville, on the Comptroller's 2025 rates. Maury and Rutherford counties adopted lower county rates for 2026, $1.369 and $1.4885, so 2026 bills in Columbia, Murfreesboro, La Vergne and Smyrna won't match the 2025 figures. My Nashville suburbs guide lays out 2026 rates town by town.
Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.
I own a renovated historic house in Columbia's historic district, a few blocks from the square, so I know that market from the owner's side. Start with my Columbia page and living in Columbia. For the others, see Springfield, Dickson, La Vergne and Smyrna.
Where do Franklin, Thompson's Station and Spring Hill rank?
Franklin and Thompson's Station, both in Williamson County, and Spring Hill, which straddles Williamson and Maury counties, sit near the top of Tennessee on home value. In the 2020 to 2024 Census survey, Franklin's median is $705,400, Thompson's Station's is $700,500 and Spring Hill's is $493,800. Brentwood is the highest of the 63 ranked cities at $1,031,300.
Taxes are a different story. Thompson's Station's combined 2025 rate of $1.403 per $100 of assessed value is lower than any of the 63 cities in the ranking, per the Comptroller. Thompson's Station has about 8,294 residents in the same survey, so it falls under the 10,000 cutoff. It's where I live.
The full monthly budgets are in my guides to the cost of living in Franklin, Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, Nashville and Murfreesboro.
Weighing a move to Tennessee?
Tell me your budget and where you'd be driving every day, and I'll show you which towns on these lists actually fit, including the county and the tax line each address sits on. Can't get here to tour? I record a video walkthrough of the house and send you an unlisted YouTube link, so you can rewatch it as many times as you need.
My family and I love living here and wouldn't change it. For the bigger picture, read moving to Tennessee and how I work with buyers moving in from out of state. DM me, text or call 615-392-1186.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest city to live in Tennessee?
Union City, in Obion County, is the cheapest Tennessee city of 10,000 or more people on median home value, at $146,000 in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey. That's about half the statewide median of $286,700.
What is the cheapest place to live near Nashville?
Springfield, in Robertson County, is the cheapest Tennessee city of 10,000 or more people within an hour of downtown Nashville. Its median home value is $253,600 in the 2020 to 2024 Census survey, and it's about 28 miles and 36 minutes from the State Capitol with no traffic.
Which city in Tennessee has the lowest rent?
Greeneville, in Greene County, has the lowest median gross rent of Tennessee's 63 cities over 10,000 people, at $650 a month in the 2020 to 2024 Census survey. The statewide median is $1,189 and the U.S. median is $1,413.
Do cheap Tennessee cities have low property taxes?
Not always. Memphis has the fourth-lowest median home value on the list and the highest combined property tax rate of all 63 cities, $5.2708 per $100 of assessed value in 2025, per the Tennessee Comptroller.
Which part of Tennessee has the lowest cost of living?
The Jackson metro area had the lowest overall price level of Tennessee's ten metro areas in 2024, at 85.5 with the U.S. at 100, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Nashville metro was the highest at 96.3.
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