Moving from Indiana to Tennessee
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Indiana and Tennessee, side by side.
Moving to Tennessee costs about
-$150/mo
less than Indiana each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.3x more in Tennessee, but the tax rate is lower
Tennessee taxes property at 0.50% against 0.74% in Indiana. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $1,434 a year against $1,615.
Indiana vs Tennessee at a glance
| Indiana | Tennessee | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $218,200 | $286,700 |
| Median rent | $1,062/mo | $1,189/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 2.95% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.74% | 0.50% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 96 |
| Utilities | 86 | 72 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | IN | TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,062 | $1,189 | +$127 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $194 | $0 | -$194 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $41 | None | -$41 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $102 | $99 | -$3 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,751 | $1,765 | +$14 |
| Utilities | $349 | $295 | -$55 |
| Total | -$150 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,500 to $3,600
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Indianapolis is not Indiana-average and Nashville is not Tennessee-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.