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Cost of living, rent, and safety data — Population 562,647 • 0 community reports
Data last updated
City Score
Strongest: Cost of Living · Watch out for: Safety
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Common questions about living in Chattanooga, TN
Safety is something you'll want to plan around in Chattanooga. The violent crime index is 177, well above the national average of 100, and property crime sits at 158. This doesn't mean every part of the city is risky — many neighborhoods have strong community watch programs and low incident rates. But you absolutely need to research specific areas, invest in good locks and security, and be deliberate about where you choose to live. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report.
Housing costs in Chattanooga are reasonable. Median rent sits at $1,155/month with median household income at $61,028/year — a 22.7% rent-to-income ratio. That's well within the comfort zone that most financial advisors recommend. It's not dirt cheap, but most working households can afford rent here without financial strain. Other costs like groceries and utilities will vary, but the rent picture is solid. Census ACS 2023 data.
Most people in Chattanooga are at work within 17 minutes — a pretty reasonable commute by American standards. The breakdown: 74.5% drive alone, 1.1% take public transit, and 11.9% work from home. Rush hour adds time, obviously, but the baseline is manageable.
Roughly in the middle of the pack. Chattanooga's combined effective rate is about 9.9%, covering income, property, and sales taxes. The sales tax is 9.3%. You won't be shocked by your first tax bill, but you won't be celebrating either. Cross-state movers should compare their current and future take-home pay before making assumptions.
Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.
Disclaimer: Data reflects city-wide averages from public sources. Individual neighborhoods, schools, and conditions may differ. Always verify with local agencies before making major decisions.
These calculators pair well with the Chattanooga, TN dashboard.
City scores blend federal baseline data with community reports from residents. The more reports a city has, the more the score reflects current conditions rather than historical averages.
The overall score is a weighted average of four categories:
Confidence tells you how reliable a score is based on report volume and recency:
CityScore = (BaselineWeight × BaselineScore) + (CrowdWeight × CommunityScore)
CrowdWeight grows from 0% to 50% as reports accumulate. Verified reports count double.
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