Moving to Tennessee from Alabama
What to Expect
Considering a move from Alabama to Tennessee? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Alabama to Tennessee, you would find that Tennessee is 13.5% more expensive than Alabama. A $75,000 salary in Alabama would need to be roughly $87,753 in Tennessee to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Alabama and Tennessee.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $87,753
To maintain the same standard of living in Tennessee
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 15.0% more
Groceries
pay 3.8% more
Transportation
pay 2.4% less
Housing
pay 28.1% more
Childcare
pay 18.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Tennessee compared to Alabama.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Alabama performs better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Alabama generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Tennessee leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alabama performs better than Tennessee across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alabama generally does better on infrastructure, though Tennessee leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Tennessee generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Tennessee performs significantly better than Alabama across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Montgomery | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) | 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) | 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) | 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Montgomery | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) | 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) |
| Feb | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) | 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) |
| Mar | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) | 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) |
| Apr | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) |
| May | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) | 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) |
| Jun | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) |
| Jul | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) |
| Aug | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) |
| Sep | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) | 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) |
| Oct | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) | 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Tennessee than Alabama?
On average Tennessee is around 17% pricier than Alabama, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Tennessee?
Budget about $21,938 for 3 months in Tennessee (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Tennessee safe?
Alabama performs better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Tennessee compared to Alabama?
Alabama generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Tennessee leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Tennessee compared to Alabama?
The average high temperature in Nashville is 70°F, compared to 76°F in Montgomery. Nashville receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Montgomery gets 53.1 in.
