Cost of Living in Nashville, TN (2026): What Renters Should Budget

Updated October 2026. Rent figures reflect September 2026 estimates from Apartment List's October report.

According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, the median rent across all apartment sizes in Nashville is $1,370, with one-bedrooms at $1,228 and two-bedrooms at $1,366. A second bedroom adds only $138 at the median, about 11% where large U.S. cities typically step up closer to 19.5%, so a roommate saves you more of a one-bedroom's rent here than in most big cities. Rents are also falling, down 2.27% over the 12 months through September 2026.

A renter living alone in a median one-bedroom should plan on about $1,788 a month for rent, electricity, water, and groceries, before transportation, internet, insurance, parking, or anything discretionary. The electricity figure moves every month with NES's fuel adjustment, so budget for summer rather than a mild month.

Nashville Cost of Living at a Glance

Source for rent rows: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. Full method and sources are in the appendix.

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.

What Is the Median Rent in Nashville in 2026?

The median one-bedroom rent in Nashville is $1,228, according to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index. Two-bedrooms run $1,366 and the all-sizes median is $1,370.

Rents are down 2.27% over the 12 months through September 2026 and held flat in September alone, down 0.01%. The national median fell 0.39% over the same 12 months, so Nashville is still 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. Neither figure tells you what a specific building is offering, so ask about concessions, fees, and the move-in total.

Nashville's Two-Bedroom Median Runs $138 Above Its One-Bedroom

In Nashville a two-bedroom runs $138 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, October 2026 report).

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.

Nashville Rent by Apartment Size

Updated October 2026.

Apartment List Rent Index median rent by apartment size in Nashville.

Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates.

Is $1,300 a Fair Rent for a 1 Bedroom in Nashville?

Updated October 26, 2026.

As of October 26, 2026, 36% of Nashville listings on Apartment List with one-bedroom availability have starting asking rents of $1,300 or less. The median starting asking rent across those listings is $1,400. According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, the median one-bedroom rent in Nashville is $1,228. The Rent Index is Apartment List's median rent estimate for Nashville. The starting asking rents above come from listings currently on Apartment List.

As of October 26, 2026, the middle half of Nashville listings on Apartment List with one-bedroom availability have starting asking rents between $1,199 and $1,699.

Source: Apartment List listings, October 26, 2026. Each listing with one-bedroom availability is counted once, using its lowest one-bedroom asking rent. The sample includes 263 Nashville listings.

Check any other price with Rate My Rent.

How Does Nashville Rent Compare With Other Southeast Cities?

Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates.

Only $8 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.

Atlanta costs $170 more and Memphis $305 less.

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

Using Apartment List's September 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,228, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $49,120 in annual gross income.

Each income figure is the monthly rent multiplied by 12 and divided by 0.30. The shared row assumes an equal split of the two-bedroom median between two renters. Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates.

The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable, and HUD counts utilities inside it where this table does not, so add the electricity and water figures from the At-a-Glance table to get closer to a housing budget. Use gross income here; the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for take-home pay, so its answer will differ. Treat these as planning benchmarks, not salary requirements or screening rules.

Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, so a $49,120 salary here isn't reduced by a state wage tax the way the same salary would be in a state that levies one. Your take-home still depends on federal tax, withholding, and any local levies where you work.

How Do You Know if You Can Afford a Nashville Apartment?

Run the math in whichever direction you need. From your salary, multiply annual gross income by 0.30 and divide by 12 for the monthly rent the benchmark points to: $55,000 lands around $1,375 a month, above the $1,228 median one-bedroom, and $40,000 lands around $1,000, below it. From a listing, divide the advertised rent, or your share of a split, by 0.30 and multiply by 12 to see the income it implies. Then add utilities, transit, and the other costs your household carries, ask what rent includes, and compare that fuller figure against your income and debts before applying. The Apartment List Rent Calculator runs it against your actual income and debts instead of a flat percentage.

What Should You Budget Beyond Rent in Nashville?

Electricity

Nashville Electric Service is the only option, so there's no plan to shop for. At 500 kWh a month, budget about $76, which covers the 11.864 cents per kWh rate NES posted for August 2026 plus the fixed service and grid-access charges every account pays. Part of that rate is a TVA fuel adjustment that changes every month, so your bill can move even when your usage doesn't, and the fixed charges are set from an account's usage history, so a new account and a long-tenured one can pay different amounts in the same building.

Nashville summers are hot and humid. Budget around your expected summer usage rather than a mild-weather month, and ask the landlord for a recent August bill from a similar unit.

Water and Sewer

Metro Water Services bills about $44 a month for an apartment using around 4 CCF, roughly 3,000 gallons, based on rates effective January 2026. Don't budget off the posted rate card: the 10% infrastructure fees on water and sewer and the state sales tax on water add about 14%, and the $44 already includes them. Whether you see that bill at all depends on the building: ask whether water and sewer are billed to you, split across units, or included in rent.

Transit

WeGo charges $2.00 for an adult local ride, and fares cap at $65 a month when you pay with QuickTicket or a contactless card, per WeGo as of July 2026. Tapping also buys unlimited local rides for two hours, while cash buys exactly one ride, so a cash round trip is $4.00 where the same trip on a card 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. Look up whether your likely commute is served before you count on the $65 cap replacing a car.

Groceries

The USDA Moderate-Cost Food Plan puts groceries for a single adult at about $440 a month as of the August 2026 report. 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?

Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. The shared column splits one two-bedroom, one electric bill, and one water bill between two renters; groceries don't split. Transit and other costs are excluded; see the appendix.

Splitting a two-bedroom equally costs about $545 a month less per renter in rent than a one-bedroom on your own, roughly $6,540 a year, and about $605 less once you count the shared utility bills. Nashville's 11% step between unit sizes, against a typical 19.5% in large U.S. cities, is why that saving runs deeper here than in most big cities.

What Should You Check Before Applying for a Nashville Apartment?

Before paying an application fee, confirm what the building bills separately: whether water and sewer come to you or sit inside rent, 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; and whether parking is included. Then get the total move-in cost in writing, including first month, deposit, and any administrative, pet, or amenity fees. Tennessee's residential security deposit statute sets rules for how deposits are held, inspected, and returned, but it does not name a maximum amount, so the written total is the number to check.

The estimate you build from a listing's rent and its charges is specific to that one apartment, not a citywide total, and it is the number that should drive the decision. Rate My Rent grades a specific listing against comparable nearby apartments, and for neighborhood picks see our guides to the cheapest neighborhoods, where to live, and the safest neighborhoods in Nashville. If you're moving in from elsewhere, the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares your current city against Nashville using after-tax income, which matters here because Tennessee doesn't tax wages. Then browse Nashville apartments and run the check on real listings.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Rent figures come from the Apartment List Rent Estimates, October 2026 release, with data as of September 2026, built on the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, 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.

Starting asking rents come from the Apartment List listing snapshot for Nashville as of October 26, 2026. The snapshot covers 263 listings with one-bedroom availability, and each listing is counted once, using its lowest one-bedroom asking rent. Percentiles and the share at or under $1,300 are calculated across those listings. These listing figures are separate from the Apartment List Rent Index medians on this page.

The $1,788 monthly planning total combines the median one-bedroom rent with the electricity, water and sewer, and grocery estimates from the At-a-Glance table. Electricity assumes 500 kWh a month at NES's August 2026 rate, including fixed service and grid-access charges; water assumes about 4 CCF, roughly 3,000 gallons, including infrastructure fees and sales tax. Both are modeled from published rates rather than reported by the utilities as apartment averages, and your own usage will move them. The total 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 $1,370 as of September 2026, with one-bedrooms at $1,228 and two-bedrooms at $1,366.

What Is the Average Rent for a 2 Bedroom Apartment in Nashville, TN?

According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Nashville is $1,366. This is the citywide median and reflects September 2026 rent estimates.

What Is the Average Rent for a 1 Bedroom Apartment in Nashville, TN?

According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Nashville is $1,228. This is the citywide median and reflects September 2026 rent estimates.

Is $1,300 a Fair Rent for a 1 Bedroom in Nashville, TN?

As of October 26, 2026, 36% of Nashville listings on Apartment List with one-bedroom availability have starting asking rents of $1,300 or less. That makes $1,300 a typical starting rent within this sample, below its $1,400 median. According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, the median one-bedroom rent in Nashville is $1,228.

Is Nashville Affordable for Renters?

It depends on your income and the size you need. Under a rent-only 30% benchmark, a $1,228 one-bedroom lines up with about $49,120 in annual gross income, and a $1,366 two-bedroom with about $54,640. Landlords don't have to follow this benchmark, and it leaves out utilities and other living costs. Nashville's all-sizes median of $1,370 sits $18 below the national median of $1,388 as of September 2026, and its two-bedroom premium is among the narrowest of any large U.S. city.

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Nashville?

Down. Nashville rents fell 2.27% over the 12 months through September 2026, according to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, while the national median fell 0.39%. The most recent month was flat, down 0.01%, so the twelve-month decline is the figure to plan against.

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.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Nashville?

Using Apartment List's September 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,228, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $49,120 in annual gross income. This is a planning benchmark, not a requirement, and 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.

How Does Nashville Rent Compare With Other Southeast Cities?

Nashville sits mid-pack at $1,370 all-sizes (Apartment List, October 2026 report). Raleigh ($1,375) and Charlotte ($1,378) are within $8, effectively a tie. Atlanta runs $170 higher at $1,540. Louisville ($1,200) and Memphis ($1,065) are meaningfully cheaper.

How Do Solo and Shared Nashville Budgets Compare?

At the September 2026 median, a two-bedroom would cost about $683 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $1,228 for a one-bedroom you pay for on your own (Apartment List, October 2026 report), a difference of roughly $545 a month before utilities and fees. That $683 share corresponds to about $27,320 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.