Moving to Texas from Tennessee

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tennessee to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Tennessee to Texas, you would find that Texas is 0.5% more expensive than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $71,536 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Tennessee to Texas.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $71,536

To maintain the same standard of living in Texas

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 2.8% less

Groceries

pay 6.2% less

Transportation

pay 15.8% more

Housing

pay 3.3% less

Childcare

pay 2.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 1.8% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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

How Tennessee and Texas stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
612
TX
391
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
2301
TX
2153

Texas performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

TN
9.5%
TX
16.0%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

TN
37.9%
TX
36.8%

Tennessee generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

TN
$256,800
TX
$260,400
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

TN
$1,122
TX
$1,339

Tennessee performs better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

TN
87.6%
TX
90.1%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

TN
26 min
TX
27 min

Tennessee generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TN
3.4%
TX
3.9%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

TN
$60,177
TX
$70,071

Texas generally does better on employment & economy, though Tennessee leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

TN
73.8 yrs
TX
76.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

TN
20%
TX
20%

Texas performs significantly better than Tennessee 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.

Nashville Rain: 47.2 in/yr (1200 mm)
70° / 49°F

Avg. annual high / low

Austin Rain: 36.2 in/yr (920 mm)
79° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Nashville Austin
Jan–Mar 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) 65°/40°F (18°/5°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) 85°/63°F (29°/17°C)
Jul–Sep 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) 93°/70°F (34°/21°C)
Oct–Dec 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) 71°/47°F (22°/8°C)
View all months
Month Nashville Austin
Jan 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C)
Feb 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C)
Mar 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C)
Apr 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C)
May 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C)
Jun 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C)
Jul 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C)
Aug 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C)
Sep 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C)
Oct 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C)
Nov 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C)
Dec 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Tennessee?

Generally yes: Texas runs about 5% cheaper than Tennessee on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Texas?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $17,884 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Texas safe?

Texas performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Texas compared to Tennessee?

Tennessee generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.

What's the weather like in Texas compared to Tennessee?

The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.

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