Moving to Tennessee
New residents have 30 days to get a Tennessee driver license and should check the vehicle registration deadline with their county clerk. Prices are 8.1% below the U.S. average, and there is no state income tax on wages. 113,788 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from Florida and California.
New resident checklist for Tennessee
Driver license
Within 30 days of establishing residency; vision screening only with a valid out-of-state license (or one expired 6 months or less); knowledge and road tests if expired longer. Licenses from CA, CT, IL, NV and WV need a driving record (MVR). Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Tennessee address.
Vehicle title and registration
Title and register at your county clerk's office with ID, proof of Tennessee residency, your current out-of-state registration, and the title or lienholder details. No fixed day count is published; check with your county clerk. No statewide emissions testing. Switch your auto insurance to a Tennessee policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: No sales or use tax on the personal vehicle you bring with you when you move to Tennessee; you pay the title and registration fees.
Annual registration: An annual state registration fee plus any county or city wheel tax, which varies by county. Plug-in electric vehicles pay an extra $200 a year through 2026 ($274 from 2027); hybrids and plug-in hybrids pay $100.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $200.
Establishing residency
Residency is shown by two current proofs of TN address (utility bill, lease, bank statement, etc.); TN law bars holding more than one state's license. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Tennessee
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, so ask your employer to stop withholding for your old state from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,402 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: tn.gov. Sources: tn.gov (2), tn.gov (3), tn.gov (4), revenue.support.tn.gov, tn.gov (5). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Tennessee motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Tennessee
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Tennessee.
Equal salary in TN: $69,700
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $69,700 in Tennessee to match $80,000 in Florida ($10,300 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $80,000 | Florida | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $8,770 | $8,770 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,120 | $6,120 |
| State income tax | $0 | $0 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $65,110 | $65,110 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Tennessee: Florida to Tennessee, California to Tennessee, Georgia to Tennessee, Texas to Tennessee, Mississippi to Tennessee and Kentucky to Tennessee.
Living in Tennessee: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Tennessee is in the best 10 for state income tax and property tax rate, and in the worst 10 for health premiums.
- Median rent
- $1,284/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $2,002/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $79,180 $4,102 more than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.45% median $1,488/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 77.8 of 100 Above average for U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 113,788 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Tennessee
How Tennessee ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Tennessee ranks best
- Top 10 Lowest state income tax: no tax on wages, tied with 8 other states for the lowest.
- Top 10 Lowest property tax rate: 0.45% of home value a year, tied with 1 other state for 5th lowest.
Where Tennessee ranks worst
- Bottom 10 Highest Marketplace health premiums: $711 a month for a benchmark plan at age 40, before subsidies (KFF 2026), 8th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Tennessee residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 113,788 households filed their taxes in Tennessee after filing in another state the year before. Florida sent the most, 12,505 households (11% of the total). Tennessee gained a net 24,104 households from other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Tennessee from other states peaked in 2021–22 at 119,082 households, then fell 4% to 113,788 in 2022–23, up 22% from 2018–19. Tennessee gained households from other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 +17,849, 2019–20 +21,758, 2020–21 +30,292, 2021–22 +30,935, 2022–23 +24,104.
Cost of living in Tennessee vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Tennessee are 8.1% below the U.S. average, 14th cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in utilities (72.1), 28% below the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $143/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,050/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $711/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Tennessee: take-home pay at three incomes
Tennessee has no state income tax on wages. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | TN income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $0 | $42,355 | +$1,577 |
| $100,000 | $0 | $79,180 | +$4,102 |
| $150,000 | $0 | $113,791 | +$6,205 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Tennessee income taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 7% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $1,488 a year in property tax, 0.45% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Tennessee taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Tennessee: where a paycheck goes furthest
Of the 5 Tennessee metro areas we cover, Clarksville is the best value: about $67,000 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax. Nashville takes the most, $71,800.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarksville | $67,000 | 90.9 | $1,260 | $291,700 |
| Chattanooga | $67,600 | 91.5 | $1,265 | $324,500 |
| Memphis | $68,200 | 92.2 | $1,330 | $282,900 |
| Knoxville | $68,500 | 92.6 | $1,219 | $351,400 |
| Nashville | $71,800 | 96.3 | $1,627 | $449,300 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Housing and home insurance in Tennessee
| Measure | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,284 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $332,600 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,002 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $85,806 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $1,488 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,402 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Tennessee for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Tennessee
Tennessee's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 77.8 of 100, above average for U.S. counties and 19th safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $435 per resident a year, and about 24% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Tennessee county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Tennessee come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 113,788 households moved to Tennessee from other states. The most came from Florida (12,505 households), California (10,246) and Georgia (8,430).
What are the pros and cons of living in Tennessee?
Where Tennessee ranks best among the 50 states and D.C.: lowest state income tax, tied with 8 other states for the lowest; lowest property tax rate, tied with 1 other state for 5th lowest. Where it ranks worst: highest Marketplace health premiums, 8th highest of 51.
Is Tennessee expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Tennessee are 8.1% below the U.S. average (BEA price level 91.9, 2024), 14th cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,284 a month and the median home is worth $332,600.
How long do I have to get a Tennessee driver license after moving?
30 days after becoming a resident. Within 30 days of establishing residency; vision screening only with a valid out-of-state license (or one expired 6 months or less); knowledge and road tests if expired longer. Licenses from CA, CT, IL, NV and WV need a driving record (MVR).
How long do I have to register my car in Tennessee?
Title and register at your county clerk's office with ID, proof of Tennessee residency, your current out-of-state registration, and the title or lienholder details. No fixed day count is published; check with your county clerk. No statewide emissions testing.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Tennessee?
No sales or use tax on the personal vehicle you bring with you when you move to Tennessee; you pay the title and registration fees.
What makes me a Tennessee resident?
Residency is shown by two current proofs of TN address (utility bill, lease, bank statement, etc.); TN law bars holding more than one state's license.