How does Tennessee score for retirement planning?
Tennessee scores 4.5 out of 10 in the HavenScout planning model. The score combines safety, cost, healthcare, transit, and long-term environment when source data is available.
U.S. State
Reviewed July 3, 2026
Retire in Tennessee
No income tax. Warm climate. Rich music and food culture. Growing fast — Nashville especially pricey now. - Sources
Planning research, not advice. This guide summarizes HavenScout data and selected outside sources. Verify tax, healthcare, housing, insurance, legal, safety, and financial decisions with official sources and qualified professionals before acting.
Why this score?
Tennessee score calculation
Safety 3.8/10 x 35% + Cost 5.4/10 x 22% + Healthcare 4/10 x 18% + Transit 2.5/10 x 15% + Environment 9/10 x 10% = 4.5/10
Tennessee scores 4.5 (Mixed) because environment is the strongest support at 9/10, while transit is the main drag at 2.5/10. Safety carries the largest weight, so its 3.8/10 result strongly shapes the final score. Cost helps based on 91.9 vs US 100. Transit: Nashville WeGo bus. Memphis MATA bus. Car essential most areas.
Safety3.8/1038/100
Cost5.4/1091.9 vs US 100
Healthcare4/102/5
Transit2.5/102.5/10
Environment9/10Excellent
Budget and cost
Tennessee cost of living for retirees
Cost index91.9BEA RPP all items
Cost baselineUS 100Broad regional comparison
Score input5.4/10Weighted at 22%
Tennessee uses a broad regional cost signal. It is useful for comparing places, but it does not replace city-level rent, insurance, property-tax, utility, grocery, and healthcare-cost research.
| Budget item | Tennessee value | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Cost index | 91.9 | Compared with a U.S. State baseline of 100. |
| Local range | Varies by city | Housing, insurance, taxes, utilities, and car dependence can change the real budget quickly. |
| Use case | Screening signal | Use this to shortlist places, then verify a personal budget locally. |
Housing costs
Tennessee housing costs for retirees
Median gross rent$1,189/moCensus QuickFacts, 2020-2024 statewide median.
Median home value$286,700Owner-occupied units, Census QuickFacts 2020-2024.
Monthly owner cost$1,566/moMedian for owners with a mortgage, Census 2020-2024.
Tennessee needs local housing review because Nashville, Chattanooga, Franklin, Crossville, mountain communities, rural counties, and lake areas can differ on rent, home prices, insurance, transit, and healthcare access.
| Housing item | Tennessee signal | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Rent baseline | $1,189 statewide median | Census QuickFacts 2020-2024 median gross rent; verify HUD FMR and current listings by metro, county, or town. |
| Homeowner baseline | $286,700 value / $1,566 monthly cost | Census QuickFacts median owner-occupied home value plus median monthly owner cost for households that still have a mortgage, 2020-2024. |
| Paid-off homeowner baseline | $464/mo | Median monthly owner costs for owners without a mortgage before local tax, insurance, HOA, utility, and maintenance review. |
| Tennessee-specific caution | Nashville vs smaller markets | No state income tax can help, but Nashville-area demand, storm risk, insurance, and healthcare access vary by community. |
Housing is not calculated in the state score. This section is to give planners a general idea of the housing market in Tennessee when the data is available. Some countries, states, and provinces do not have easy sources of information, so it is important for HavenScout users to double check their information.
Safety and local risk
Tennessee safety profile
Safety score38 / 100WalletHub/FBI signal
Local reviewRequiredCity, county, metro, and neighborhood matter
Memphis very high. Nashville moderate. Knoxville, Chattanooga suburbs and rural areas safer.
| Concern | Relative risk | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | High | stable |
| Property Crime | High | down |
| Drug Crime | Moderate | stable |
Healthcare
Tennessee healthcare access
Healthcare2/5HavenScout internal planning scale
SystemNo Medicaid expansionEligibility varies
Personal fitVerifyDoctors, prescriptions, specialists, insurance
Nashville has strong health industry. High uninsured rate. Rural east Tennessee gaps. This is a planning signal, not a guarantee of access or quality for a specific person.
Foreigners coming to the US must arrange private healthcare coverage, as the US has no universal healthcare, and standard public options like Medicare or Medicaid are unavailable to newcomers. Medical costs are exceptionally high, making coverage essential for avoiding massive out-of-pocket bills.
HavenScout advises users to arrange or ensure their own healthcare coverage prior to travel anywhere.
Transit and mobility
Tennessee transit and daily mobility
Transit2.5/10Local mobility estimate
Car needed?UsuallyCheck exact city and neighborhood
Nashville WeGo bus. Memphis MATA bus. Car essential most areas.
Back to topTaxes
Tennessee tax considerations
Income taxNoneResidency and income type matter
Sales tax7% + localLocal additions can apply
Professional reviewRecommendedTax and estate details vary
No income tax (Hall tax eliminated 2021). High sales tax. Good for retirees.
Back to topVisa guidance
Tennessee visa and legal-stay research
Tennessee does not issue U.S. visas or immigration status. U.S. immigration is federal, so use USCIS for current visitor and status research, then check state-level tax, healthcare, insurance, driver's license, and residency rules separately.
Back to topRetirement areas
Places to research first
NashvilleMusic City, growing, excellent food scene
ChattanoogaOutdoor recreation, river city, affordable
FranklinUpscale suburb Nashville, historic downtown
CrossvillePlateau living, golf capital of Tennessee, affordable
How to use these area links. HavenScout highlights these Tennessee areas as research starting points from the current regional dataset, not as ranked recommendations. Government, state, province, national tourism, and local tourism links are stronger source signals than unsourced lists. Commercial .com tourism pages are labeled as local or regional tourism sources unless verified otherwise. Wikipedia links offer readable general background, but they are not official sources. Check housing, healthcare access, transportation, legal stay, safety, and neighborhood fit locally before making plans.
Nashville averages about 48F to 91F across the year.
Back to topClimate and environment
Tennessee environmental data
Environment score9/10Excellent
Data confidenceMedium2024
Annual PM2.57.3 ug/m3 average across 26 complete monitors (2024)9.5/10 score
Ozone65.3 ppb average across 23 complete monitors; 4th-highest daily max 8-hour ozone (2024)7.8/10 score
Statewide monitor averages are a planning signal; city, metro, wildfire, industrial, and rural conditions can differ. Regional environment score = annual PM2.5 score x 70% + ozone score x 30%. PM2.5 uses the existing HavenScout PM2.5 scale; ozone maps 54 ppb or lower to 10 and 105 ppb or higher to 0.
Back to topRecent headlines
Recent Tennessee headlines
Recent headlines can help flag changing political, economic, health, weather, and safety context. News links are live, limited, and may not cover every important issue.
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Outside retirement reading
Research resources for Tennessee
These links are research starting points, not endorsements. Use them to verify current legal, tax, healthcare, housing, safety, and local planning details before acting.
Official State Site
Start with the state source for current services and local rules.
USCIS visit the U.S.
Official immigration and legal-stay research source.
HavenScout score method
How the model weights safety, cost, healthcare, transit, and environment.
Back to top
Planning questions
Common questions about Tennessee
How should I read the cost figure for Tennessee?
Tennessee's cost index is 91.9 against US 100. It is a broad regional comparison, not a personal budget or city-level rent estimate.
Is Tennessee safe enough to retire in?
Tennessee's safety signal is 38 out of 100. Use that as a screening signal only, then verify city, county, metro, neighborhood, and current official crime sources.
What should I verify before relying on healthcare in Tennessee?
Check eligibility, premiums, wait times, prescriptions, specialists, local hospitals, and insurance rules. HavenScout's healthcare rating is an internal planning scale, not an official healthcare ranking.
Which areas in Tennessee should I research first?
HavenScout currently highlights Nashville, Chattanooga, Franklin as starting points. These are not recommendations to move there; they are practical places to compare housing, healthcare, transit, climate, safety, and taxes.
Research tool only. HavenScout is not legal, immigration, tax, financial, medical, security, or investment advice. State and province data is broad; city, county, metro, neighborhood, and personal eligibility details can change the real-world answer.