How Much Does It Cost to Live in Nashville? A 2026 Rent and Budget Guide

Updated August 2026. Rent figures reflect Apartment List data as of July 2026.

According to the Apartment List Rent Index, the median rent across all apartment sizes in Nashville is $1,368 as of July 2026, with one-bedrooms at $1,226 and two-bedrooms at $1,363. Read those last two figures together, because Nashville's cost story starts there: a two-bedroom runs just $137 more than a one-bedroom at the median, about 11%, where the typical step across large U.S. cities is closer to 19.5%. Rents are falling too, down 3.56% year over year. Add the estimated electricity, water, and grocery costs and an illustrative solo budget starts around $1,786 before transportation, internet, insurance, parking, or discretionary spending.

That $1,368 covers rent and nothing else. The utility figures below are modeled estimates rather than fixed prices, and the electricity rate in particular changes every month. This guide walks through each piece with Nashville figures you can plan against.

Cost of Living at a Glance

Rent values are Apartment List July 2026 city-level estimates. Calculated rows derive from the cited bedroom medians.

How to use these numbers: Start with the rent for the unit size you're considering. Add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with listing-specific charges and your expected usage.

Stacked together, the one-bedroom median plus the estimated electricity, water, and grocery costs come to about $1,786 a month for a solo renter.

That total is illustrative, and it leaves out transportation, internet, insurance, parking, and anything discretionary.

What Is the Median Rent in Nashville in 2026?

The median one-bedroom rent in Nashville is $1,226 as of July 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. Two-bedrooms run $1,363 and the all-sizes median is $1,368.

Rents are down 3.56% year over year, though the most recent month ticked up 0.56%. The national median fell 1.05% over the same period, so Nashville is softening faster than the country as a whole.

The monthly and annual figures cover different periods, and the twelve-month change is the steadier of the two. What these figures do not tell you is what any specific building is offering right now, so ask each one directly about concessions, fees, and the move-in total.

Nashville's Two-Bedroom Median Runs $137 Above Its One-Bedroom

In Nashville a two-bedroom runs $137 more than a one-bedroom at the median, about 11%, where the usual premium across large U.S. cities is closer to 19.5% (Apartment List, July 2026).

The second bedroom costs roughly 40% less to add here than it does in a typical large city. If you're comparing unit sizes, check current two-bedroom listings before ruling out the extra room on price.

How Does Nashville Rent Compare With Other Southeast Cities?

All figures are Apartment List medians as of July 2026.

Only $9 separates Nashville, Raleigh, and Charlotte, close enough that a single month of movement could reorder them. They are priced about the same, so let commute, unit quality, and lease terms decide between them.

The larger gaps sit at the edges of the table. Atlanta costs $169 more, and Memphis $298 less, which is the widest gap shown here.

What Income Corresponds to Nashville Rent at the 30% Benchmark?

Using Apartment List's July 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,226, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $49,040 in annual gross income.

The arithmetic: $1,226 x 12 / 0.30 = about $49,040 in annual gross income.

The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable. HUD's version includes utilities. The calculation above is rent-only, so treat it as a floor rather than a full housing budget.

This calculation uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for after-tax income and will produce a different estimate.

Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, and the former Hall income tax was fully repealed in 2021. A $49,040 salary in Nashville is not reduced by a state wage tax, unlike the same salary in a state that levies one. Your own take-home still depends on federal tax, withholding, and any local levies where you work.

Treat $49,040 as a planning benchmark, not a salary requirement or a screening rule.

How Do You Set a Rent Ceiling for a Specific Listing?

Start from what you earn. Multiply your annual gross income by 0.30, then divide by 12. That gives you the monthly rent the benchmark points to.

On a $55,000 salary that is about $1,375 a month, which is above Nashville's $1,226 median one-bedroom. On $60,000 it is about $1,500. On $40,000 it is about $1,000, which lands below the median one-bedroom, so a solo unit at the median would run above the benchmark at that income.

The arithmetic also runs the other way if you are looking at a specific listing. Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by 0.30 to see the income it implies: a $1,500 listing points to about $60,000, and a $1,000 listing to about $40,000.

Run it against the medians and you get the income each unit size lines up with. At the 30% planning benchmark, Nashville's $1,226 one-bedroom median corresponds to about $49,040 in annual gross income. The $1,363 two-bedroom median corresponds to about $54,520 (Apartment List, July 2026). Split equally between two renters, the $682 share corresponds to about $27,280 each.

Run the number before you tour, not after. Then check it against the Apartment List Rent Calculator, which works from your actual income and debts instead of a flat percentage.

What Should You Budget Beyond Rent in Nashville?

Electricity

Nashville Electric Service charges 11.864 cents per kWh as of August 2026, made up of a 9.254 cent residential base rate and a 2.610 cent TVA fuel cost adjustment, according to NES. A household using 500 kWh also pays fixed service and grid access charges, which is how the modeled monthly total reaches about $76. Both fixed charges are itemized in the appendix. NES is a public utility and Tennessee has no retail supplier choice, so there is no rate shopping to do here.

The fuel adjustment is the moving part. It changes monthly, so the per-kWh rate can change even when your usage stays the same. The fixed charges move too, but on a different basis: they are set from your trailing twelve months of usage and step up above 500 kWh, so a new account and a long-tenured one can pay different fixed amounts in the same building.

Nashville summers are hot and humid, and the TVA fuel adjustment moves month to month. Budget around your expected summer usage rather than a mild-weather month.

Water and Sewer

Metro Water Services bills a 5/8-inch residential service at a fixed $6.12 for water plus $9.78 for sewer each month, with the first 2 CCF included, according to Metro Water Services rates effective January 2026. Above that, both are billed by how much you use, and the water rate steps up twice as your usage rises. The full tier schedule is in the appendix.

The posted rates are not the whole bill. Metro adds a 10% infrastructure replacement fee on water and another 10% on sewer, and water sales carry Tennessee's 9.25% sales tax on top. Sewer charges also shift seasonally between April and November to account for outdoor watering. Read the posted rate as a starting point and expect roughly a fifth more.

Transit

WeGo Public Transit charges $2.00 for an adult local ride with a $65.00 monthly fare cap, per WeGo as of July 2026. Using QuickTicket or contactless payment buys unlimited local rides for two hours. Paying cash buys exactly one ride.

A cash round trip is $4.00. The same trip on contactless inside two hours is $2.00.

WeGo is mostly a bus system, with one commuter rail line, the WeGo Star, running east to Lebanon, and coverage is strongest along the main corridors into downtown. Coverage is uneven outside those corridors, so check whether your likely commute is served before you count on the $65 cap replacing a car rather than supplementing one.

Groceries

The USDA Moderate-Cost Food Plan puts groceries for a single adult at about $440 a month as of June 2026. That's a national benchmark rather than a Nashville number, so treat it as a starting point and adjust it for how much you cook against how often you eat out.

How Do Solo and Shared Nashville Budgets Compare?

Splitting a two-bedroom equally costs about $544 a month less per renter than paying for a one-bedroom on your own, before utilities and fees.

Rent values are Apartment List July 2026 city-level estimates. The shared figure assumes two renters splitting the median two-bedroom rent equally, with the half-share of $681.50 shown as $682. Income figures are approximate planning benchmarks at 30% of gross income, rent only.

Nashville's step between the two unit sizes is about 11%, against a typical 19.5% across large U.S. cities, so a shared two-bedroom covers a larger share of a solo renter's rent here than the same move would in a city at the usual premium.

What Should You Confirm Before Paying an Application Fee?

• Whether water and sewer are billed to you or included, and whether the infrastructure fees pass through

• Whether heat is gas or electric, and who pays it

• What the fixed NES service and grid-access charges are on that specific account

• Whether parking is included, and what it costs if not

• Total move-in cost: first month, security deposit, and any administrative, pet, or amenity fees

One Nashville-specific item worth checking carefully. The state statute covering residential security deposits sets rules for how deposits are held, inspected, and returned, but that section does not name a maximum amount. Ask the property for its total move-in amount in writing before paying.

How Do You Find Lower Rent in Nashville?

Start with the neighborhood guides:

• Cheapest neighborhoods in Nashville

• Where to live in Nashville

• Safest neighborhoods in Nashville

Then run your actual numbers. The Apartment List Rent Calculator sets a ceiling from your income and debts, and Rate My Rent grades a specific listing against comparable nearby apartments on rent, square footage, and amenities. That grade is a starting point for questions to ask the building, not a verdict on the unit.

Compare Nashville With Your Current City

If you are moving in from somewhere else, the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares your current city against Nashville. It asks for monthly household income after taxes, which matters here: Tennessee does not tax wages, so the same salary is treated differently than it would be in a state that does.

When the math works, browse Nashville apartments and start comparing real listings.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Rent figures come from the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, which uses a same-unit, repeat-transaction analysis.

Income figures are calculations based on the cited Apartment List rent medians and the 30% rent-to-income benchmark, not measured income data.

The $1,786 monthly planning total is illustrative, combining the median one-bedroom rent with the electricity, water and sewer, and grocery estimates listed in the At-a-Glance table above. Electricity assumes 500 kWh a month at NES's August 2026 rate, including fixed service and grid-access charges, and water assumes about 4 CCF, roughly 3,000 gallons, including infrastructure fees and sales tax. Both are modeled planning estimates rather than utility-reported apartment averages, and your own usage will move them. It excludes transportation, internet, renter's insurance, parking, debt payments, and anything discretionary.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nashville Rent & Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Nashville?

Apartment List reports a median rather than an average, because a median better represents a typical apartment and is less distorted by a handful of luxury units. The median all-sizes rent in Nashville is $1,368 as of July 2026, with one-bedrooms at $1,226 and two-bedrooms at $1,363.

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Nashville? Down. Nashville rents fell 3.56% year over year as of July 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, while the national median fell 1.05%. The most recent month ticked up 0.56%, so the decline is not perfectly smooth, but the annual direction is clearly downward. These are citywide figures and do not establish what any individual building is asking or offering.

How Much More Does a Two-Bedroom Cost in Nashville?

Nashville's one-bedroom median is $1,226 and its two-bedroom median is $1,363, a step up of $137 or about 11% (Apartment List, July 2026). Across large U.S. cities that step is typically closer to 19.5%, an unweighted median of the 50 largest cities at city level (Apartment List, July 2026). The practical effect is that two renters splitting a two-bedroom equally would each pay about $682, roughly 44% less than paying the full rent on a one-bedroom.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Nashville?

Using Apartment List's July 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,226, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $49,040 in annual gross income. This is a planning benchmark, not a requirement. Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, so that figure is not reduced by a state wage tax the way it would be in a state that levies one. Your own take-home still depends on federal tax and withholding.

Is 30% of Income a Hard Limit for Rent?

No. It is a widely used benchmark, and HUD treats housing costs above 30% of income as cost-burdened. Plenty of renters exceed it. According to Apartment List research, about 51.8% of U.S. renter households are cost-burdened and 26.1% are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing, based on 2024 ACS data. Those are national figures, not Nashville-specific.

How Does Nashville Rent Compare With Other Southeast Cities?

Nashville sits mid-pack at $1,368 all-sizes (Apartment List, July 2026). Raleigh ($1,374) and Charlotte ($1,377) are within $9, effectively a tie. Atlanta runs $169 higher at $1,537. Louisville ($1,204) and Memphis ($1,070) are meaningfully cheaper.

How Do Solo and Shared Nashville Budgets Compare?

At the July 2026 median, a two-bedroom would cost about $682 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $1,226 for a one-bedroom you pay for on your own (Apartment List, July 2026), a difference of roughly $544 a month before utilities and fees. That $682 share corresponds to about $27,280 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.