Moving from Indianapolis to Nashville
You'd keep $198 more a month in Nashville
+$2,376 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Indianapolis leftover
$2,463
a month after tax and rent
Nashville leftover
$2,661
+$198 vs Indianapolis
In 2022-2023, 208 households moved Indianapolis → Nashville (avg AGI $73,317). 194 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Indianapolis | Nashville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,417 | $7,573 | +$156 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,870 | $1,547 | −$324 |
| Take-home pay | $5,547 | $6,026 | +$480 |
| Rent | $1,205 | $1,399 | +$194 |
| Getting around | $545 | $559 | +$14 |
| Groceries | $368 | $388 | +$20 |
| Healthcare | $414 | $437 | +$23 |
| Utilities | $230 | $243 | +$13 |
| Everything else | $322 | $340 | +$18 |
| Left over | $2,463 | $2,661 | +$198 |
To break even in Nashville, you'd need to earn
$87,500
Household gross, versus $89,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Indianapolis does now.
The tax difference alone
+$4,438
A year, in state and local income tax. Tennessee has no wage income tax.
More about Nashville
Indianapolis, IN in full
Cheap housing, a 3% flat state tax, and a short commute.
Nashville, TN in full
No income tax and a real music and healthcare economy; traffic is the tax.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Nashville on Nashville wages.
Nashville → Indianapolis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Nashville than Indianapolis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,205 in Indianapolis versus $1,399 in Nashville. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $198 a month higher in Nashville. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Nashville have state income tax?
Nashville is in Tennessee, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Indianapolis to Nashville?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Tennessee tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.