Moving from Tennessee to Oklahoma
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 Oklahoma, side by side.
Moving to Oklahoma costs about
About the same
Tennessee and Oklahoma work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
A cheaper house in Oklahoma, a bigger property tax bill
The median home in Oklahoma costs $199,800 against $286,700 in Tennessee, but you would pay about $1,598 a year in property tax rather than $1,434. The rate more than cancels the lower price.
Tennessee vs Oklahoma at a glance
| Tennessee | Oklahoma | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $286,700 | $199,800 |
| Median rent | $1,189/mo | $1,014/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 4.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.50% | 0.80% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 72 | 74 |
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 | OK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,189 | $1,014 | -$175 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $0 | $255 | +$255 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $99 | $63 | -$36 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,765 | $1,719 | -$45 |
| Utilities | $295 | $302 | +$7 |
| Total | +$10 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,000 to $4,600
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $550 to $800, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Nashville is not Tennessee-average and Oklahoma City is not Oklahoma-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.