Moving from New York to Tennessee: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from New York to Tennessee.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from New York to Tennessee
New York has graduated income tax rates up to 10.9% and Tennessee has no state income tax on wages. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 in state income tax in New York and $0 in state income tax in Tennessee. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $4,860 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,400 a month across New York's metro areas and $977 across Tennessee's (-30.2%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $59,552 in New York and $47,793 in Tennessee. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between New York & Tennessee
Moving from New York to Tennessee on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,860 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $977 vs $1,400 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $4,860 lower in Tennessee than in New York (4.9 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Tennessee's metros is $977 a month, versus $1,400 in New York (-30.2%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$9,943 a year.
New York: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.9%. Tennessee: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.