City comparison
Lansing, MI vs Nashville, TN
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in Nashville, TN are 1.4% higher than in Lansing, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Lansing, MI would need about $101,400 in Nashville, TN to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,578 a month in Nashville, TN versus $1,012 in Lansing, MI. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Nashville, TN and 16% in Lansing, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,999 a year higher in Lansing, MI than in Nashville, TN.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −9.3% moving from Lansing, MI to Nashville, TN ($117,402 → $106,437), while prices change by +1.4%. Net effect of the transfer: −10.6% in real buying power.
- Lansing, MI: price level 95.0 (cheaper)
- Nashville, TN: price level 96.3 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lansing, MI | Nashville, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 95.0 | 96.3 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $101,418 in Nashville | $98,602 in Lansing |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,012/mo | $1,578/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $0 (TN) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 24% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $52,800 | $50,390 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA and Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI and Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lansing | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 83.5 | 104.6 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 95.5 | 72.0 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 95.1 |
| Overall | 95.0 | 96.3 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lansing, MI → Nashville, TN
Roughly even
Buying power −1.4%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax −$3,999/yr.
64 Fair offer
Nashville, TN → Lansing, MI
Roughly even
Buying power +1.4%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax +$3,999/yr.
73 Strong offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Lansing, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; Nashville, TN is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Lansing, MI to Nashville, TN at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lansing, MI | Nashville, TN | Real change, Lansing → Nashville |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $61,722 | −10.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $74,678 | −10.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $89,508 | −10.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $106,437 | −10.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $125,776 | −10.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lansing, MI | Nashville, TN | Nashville pay in Lansing dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $97,540 | not published | — |
| Software Developers | $97,120 | $126,610 | $124,840 (+28.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,210 | $78,080 | $76,988 (−2.8%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,320 | $84,040 | $82,865 (−1.7%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.