Cost of Living Comparison
Boston, MA vs Nashville, TN
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Boston, MA compared to Nashville, TN — housing, salary, tax, and family-of-living metrics powered by FuturePath City Intelligence.
Moving from
Boston, MA
Northeast · United States
70FuturePath Score
Education/biotech hub with premium housing.
Moving to
Nashville, TN
South · United States
82FuturePath Score
Growing music/health hub with no state income tax.
Metric
Boston, MA
Nashville, TN
Change
Median rent (monthly)
$3,100
$1,550
-50.0%
Median home price
$720K
$415K
-42.4%
Median salary
$100,000
$78,000
-22.0%
Effective tax rate
27.0%
23.1%
-3.9 pts
Childcare (monthly)
$2,200
$1,200
-45.5%
Mortgage burden
51.2%
29.6%
-21.6 pts
Cost-of-living score
55
78
+23
Overall score
70
82
+12
Migration momentum
68
86
+18
The quick take
Nashville, TN scores higher overall (+12).
- Rent: -50.0% vs Boston, MA
- Salary: -22.0% vs Boston, MA
- Cost-of-living score: +23 (higher = more affordable)
Should you make the move?
These numbers are city-wide averages. FuturePath simulates your income, savings, household, and career path against both cities to score affordability, life readiness, and decision confidence.
Run a personalized scenarioExplore city profiles: Boston, MA · Nashville, TN