City comparison
Nashville, TN vs San Antonio, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Nashville, TN are 1.7% higher than in San Antonio, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in San Antonio, TX would need about $101,700 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 $1,177 in San Antonio, TX. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Nashville, TN and 18% in San Antonio, TX.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TN and $0 in TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +1.5% moving from Nashville, TN to San Antonio, TX ($106,437 → $108,001), while prices change by −1.7%. Net effect of the transfer: +3.2% in real buying power.
- Nashville, TN: price level 96.3 (cheaper)
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Nashville, TN | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 96.3 | 94.7 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $98,316 in San Antonio | $101,712 in Nashville |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,578/mo | $1,177/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TN) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 24% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $50,390 | $47,010 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX |
Rent areas: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN HUD Metro FMR Area and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 104.6 | 94.6 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 93.8 |
| Utilities | 72.0 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 95.1 | 96.2 |
| Overall | 96.3 | 94.7 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Nashville, TN → San Antonio, TX
Roughly even
Buying power +1.7%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
74 Strong offer
San Antonio, TX → Nashville, TN
Roughly even
Buying power −1.7%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
63 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Nashville, TN is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; San Antonio, TX is in San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Nashville, TN to San Antonio, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Nashville, TN | San Antonio, TX | Real change, Nashville → San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $62,629 | +3.2% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $75,776 | +3.2% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $90,823 | +3.2% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $108,001 | +3.2% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $127,624 | +3.2% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Nashville, TN | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio pay in Nashville dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $61,460 | $61,720 | $62,777 (+2.1%) |
| Software Developers | $126,610 | $128,430 | $130,629 (+3.2%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $78,080 | $78,650 | $79,997 (+2.5%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,040 | $94,370 | $95,986 (+14.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.