Housing and tax tradeoff: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee comes out ahead here on rent and home price. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.
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Compare Chattanooga and 2 other shortlist cities on cost, climate, safety, and daily life
The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.
ChattanoogaKnoxvilleBoone
What Stands Out
A quick read on this comparison
Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.
Biggest tradeoff: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on affordability, weaker on safety.
Potential dealbreaker: Boone, North Carolina
Boone, North Carolina needs a closer look before you get too attached, especially on rent burden.
Comparison Matrix
| City | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Route | |||
| General Info | |||
| Population | 181,288 | 185,291 | 19,368 |
| Population Density | 1.3k /sq mi | 1.9k /sq mi | N/A |
| Center Elevation | 676 ft(206 m) | 906 ft(276 m) | 3,219 ft(981 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | |||
| Median Home | $313,143 | $359,252 | $470,609 |
| Median Rent | $1,514 | $1,716 | $1,821 |
| Median Income | $57,703 | $48,309 | $28,242 |
| Rent Burden | 31% | 43% | 77% |
| Climate & Risks | |||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 302 days/yr | 304 days/yr | 304 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 71°F | 70°F | 61°F |
| Avg. Low | 52°F | 51°F | 45°F |
| Comfort Score | 77/100Great | 72/100Great | 63/100Good |
| Temp Swing | 39°F | 41°F | 38°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 57"(145 cm) | 49"(124 cm) | 60"(152 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 3"(8 cm) | 5"(13 cm) | 15"(38 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 442024 modeled avg · 8 days > 100 | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 17 days > 100 | Typical: 402024 modeled avg · 2 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | |||
| Walkability | 29 | 31 | 49 |
| Transit Score | 18 | 27 | N/A |
| Safety Score | 47 / 100 | 53 / 100 | 83 / 100 |
| School Rating | 6.7/10 | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | minimalMinimal | unknownNo Data | minimalMinimal |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 100%Cable: 98% | Fiber: 67%Cable: 98% | Fiber: 29%Cable: 84% |
| Demographics | |||
| Median Age | 37 years | 33.4 years | 21.4 years |
| College Educated | 34% | 33% | 46% |
| Remote Workers | 10% | 9% | 9% |
| Nature Access | |||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | Finding... | Finding... |
| Scouting & Local Help | |||
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move. | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Chattanooga. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Knoxville. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Boone. One featured slot per city |
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