Living in Tennessee · 2026
Is $80,000 enough to live in Tennessee?
Single adult · TN · 2026 tax brackets · Real cost-of-living data
Monthly take-home
$5,411
Avg monthly expenses
$2,332
Avg monthly surplus
$3,079
Savings potential
~57%
After-tax take-home in Tennessee
How $80,000 feels in Tennessee cities
Rent: HUD FMR 2026 · Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan × COL · Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES × COL
Nashville
COL index: 1.31× national avg
Memphis
COL index: 0.91× national avg
Knoxville
COL index: 1.03× national avg
Chattanooga
COL index: 1.00× national avg
Clarksville
COL index: 0.95× national avg
Murfreesboro
COL index: 1.08× national avg
50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner
Based on your monthly take-home of $5,411 ($64,932/yr)
$2,706
per month
- ›Rent / mortgage
- ›Groceries
- ›Utilities
- ›Insurance
- ›Minimum debt payments
- ›Transportation
$1,623
per month
- ›Dining out
- ›Streaming services
- ›Gym
- ›Hobbies
- ›Travel
- ›Shopping
$1,082
per month
- ›Emergency fund
- ›401(k) / IRA
- ›Investments
- ›Down payment fund
- ›Debt payoff (extra)
Needs / year
$32,466
Wants / year
$19,480
Savings / year
$12,986
Salary Intelligence
Below comfortable level in NashvilleRent would consume 35% of take-home income — above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.
Lifestyle Assessment
A $80,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Nashville, Tennessee, with approximately $2,329/month (~43% of take-home) available for savings — meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.
Purchasing Power
Nashville's above-average cost of living (index: 1.31) means $80,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $61,069 in an average-cost US city, or $72,061 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.
State & National Benchmark
$80,000 is 111% above the Tennessee individual median of $38,000 and 43% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.
State individual median
$38,000
+111%
State household median
$65,619
+22%
Tax reduction strategies
$80,000 vs. Tennessee income benchmarks
Individual median (Tennessee)
$38,000
+111% vs. this salary
Household median (Tennessee)
$65,619
+22% vs. this salary
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023
Related salary insights
Explore other salary levels in Tennessee
Data Sources
- •Tax calculations: IRS federal tax tables
- •Rent data: HUD Fair Market Rents
- •Cost-of-living index: C2ER / ACCRA Cost of Living Index
Data updated monthly using government datasets.