Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nashville, TN and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Nashville, TN: $2,847 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Nashville, TN
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Nashville, TN Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,847

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nashville, TN and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nashville, TN and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,847 in Nashville, TN versus $4,950 in New York, NY.

Nashville, TN $2,847
New York, NY $4,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,247 in Nashville, TN versus $7,265 in New York, NY.

Nashville, TN $4,247
New York, NY $7,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,647 in Nashville, TN versus $9,581 in New York, NY.

Nashville, TN $5,647
New York, NY $9,581

Living in Nashville, TN costs roughly 42% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nashville, TN 111% above, New York, NY 267% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.45 $18.45

$24.65 $24.65

-25.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 $84.1

$122 $122

-30.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$13.91 $13.91

-12.22%

Cappuccino

$6.61 $6.61

$6.59 $6.59

0.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.84 $3.84

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.87 $2.87

-15.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 $6.91

$7.79 $7.79

-11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$9.85 $9.85

-18.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.38 $1.38

-17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.68 $4.68

-16.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$7.54 $7.54

-47.48%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$5.93 $5.93

-27.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$18.83 $18.83

-31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.24 $14.24

$17.36 $17.36

-17.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.32 $18.32

$18.51 $18.51

-1.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$6.74 $6.74

-15.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.09 $2.09

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$6.07 $6.07

-30.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$6.74 $6.74

-24.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$4.05 $4.05

-36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$4.37 $4.37

-30.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.89 $2.89

-21.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.60 $2.60

-10.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$18.72 $18.72

-44.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$20.06 $20.06

-22.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$3.25 $3.25

-27.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.73 $3.73

24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.06 $3.06

-33.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 $64.7

$140 $140

-53.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.04 $3.04

67.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.15 $2.15

-26.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.80 $20.80

$41.82 $41.82

-50.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.12 $1.12

-10.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.7K $36.7K

$35.5K $35.5K

3.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.0K $26.0K

3.98%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$232 $232

$219 $219

5.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$73.2 $73.2

1.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.8 $74.8

$72.0 $72.0

3.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 $55.2

$123 $123

-55.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.44 $14.44

$67.7 $67.7

-78.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 $14.87

$22.85 $22.85

-34.92%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,475 $1,475

$3,333 $3,333

-55.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$60.0K $60.0K

-48.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$75.2 $75.2

-26.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 $43.06

$52.4 $52.4

-17.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 $91.7

$122 $122

-24.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$133 $133

4.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$4,389 $4,389

-54.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$3,130 $3,130

-55.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,438 $4,438

$8,918 $8,918

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 $2,422

$5,354 $5,354

-54.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,035 $8,035

$19.4K $19.4K

-58.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,673 $2,673

$6,806 $6,806

-60.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,645 $4,645

$5,343 $5,343

-13.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

6.82

-3.96%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nashville, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 127% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Nashville, TN

$432 15.2%

New York, NY

$545 11% 26.3% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nashville, TN

$381 13.4%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 4.3% $16

Eating Out

Nashville, TN

$335 11.8%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 20.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nashville, TN

$148 5.2%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 16.2% $24

Getting Around

Nashville, TN

$86 3%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 94% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Nashville, TN

$85 3%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 98.3% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Nashville, TN and $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Nashville, TN vs $122 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $545 per month, with Nashville, TN cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of Nashville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

689,447

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Nashville, TN New York, NY 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nashville, TN
New York, NY

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nashville, TN vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nashville, TN and New York, NY differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,847 vs $4,950 including rent). Nashville, TN is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in New York, NY. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,999 in Nashville, TN versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,475 in Nashville, TN versus $3,333 in New York, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Nashville, TN is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nashville, TN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.