City comparison
Nashville, TN vs Spokane, WA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in Spokane, WA are 4.2% higher than in Nashville, TN. Someone earning $100,000 in Nashville, TN would need about $104,200 in Spokane, WA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,578 a month in Nashville, TN versus $1,193 in Spokane, WA. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Nashville, TN and 18% in Spokane, WA.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TN and $0 in WA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +0.5% moving from Nashville, TN to Spokane, WA ($106,437 → $106,991), while prices change by +4.2%. Net effect of the transfer: −3.5% in real buying power.
- Nashville, TN: price level 96.3 (cheaper)
- Spokane, WA: price level 100.3 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Nashville, TN | Spokane, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 96.3 | 100.3 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $104,160 in Spokane | $96,006 in Nashville |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,578/mo | $1,193/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TN) | $0 (WA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 24% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $50,390 | $54,660 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID |
Rent areas: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN HUD Metro FMR Area and Spokane, WA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN and Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Nashville | Spokane |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 104.6 | 97.1 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 105.0 |
| Utilities | 72.0 | 91.2 |
| Other services | 95.1 | 99.5 |
| Overall | 96.3 | 100.3 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Nashville, TN → Spokane, WA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −4.0%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
56 Fair offer
Spokane, WA → Nashville, TN
Same pay goes further
Buying power +4.2%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
82 Strong offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Nashville, TN is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Spokane, WA is in Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID. The last column shows what a transfer from Nashville, TN to Spokane, WA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Nashville, TN | Spokane, WA | Real change, Nashville → Spokane |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $62,044 | −3.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $75,068 | −3.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $89,974 | −3.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $106,991 | −3.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $126,432 | −3.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Nashville, TN | Spokane, WA | Spokane pay in Nashville dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | not published | $106,190 | — |
| Software Developers | $126,610 | $130,690 | $125,470 (−0.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $78,080 | $86,350 | $82,901 (+6.2%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,040 | $111,750 | $107,287 (+27.7%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.