Moving from Tennessee to District of Columbia
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 Tennessee and District of Columbia, side by side.
Moving to District of Columbia costs about
+$1,440/mo
more than Tennessee each month, renting
Worth knowing
Utilities cost 56% more in District of Columbia
Power, gas and water run about $166 a month more in District of Columbia than in Tennessee. It is the cost people forget to check, and over a year it is roughly $1,994.
Tennessee vs District of Columbia at a glance
| Tennessee | District of Columbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $286,700 | $737,100 |
| Median rent | $1,189/mo | $1,954/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.50% | 0.58% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 107 |
| Utilities | 72 | 113 |
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 | TN | DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,189 | $1,954 | +$765 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $0 | $319 | +$319 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $99 | $96 | -$3 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,765 | $1,953 | +$188 |
| Utilities | $295 | $461 | +$166 |
| Total | +$1,440 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,900 to $4,400
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $500 to $750, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. A single city can look nothing like the state average it sits inside. 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.