Moving to Washington from Tennessee
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tennessee to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Tennessee to Washington, you would find that Washington is 14.8% more expensive than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $82,974 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Olympia averages 60°F vs 70°F in Nashville, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Tennessee to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $82,974
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 4.0% more
Groceries
pay 8.8% more
Transportation
pay 30.7% more
Housing
pay 7.6% more
Childcare
pay 37.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.8% 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
How Tennessee and Washington stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Tennessee generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate.
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
Washington performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Tennessee performs better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Tennessee generally does better on infrastructure, though Washington 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Tennessee leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Nashville | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Nashville | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than Tennessee?
Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 11% higher than Tennessee on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,744 in Washington for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
Tennessee generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Tennessee?
Washington performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Tennessee?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.
