Chattanooga vs Murfreesboro
The short version
- Chattanooga is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Murfreesboro area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $283,200 in Chattanooga and $402,100 in Murfreesboro.
- Households earn more in Murfreesboro ($80,108 vs $64,523 median).
- Murfreesboro is growing faster: +12% since 2020 vs +6.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Chattanooga (19 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chattanooga, TN | Murfreesboro, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 194,144 | 171,178 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.9% | +12% |
| People per square mile | 1,364 | 2,652 |
| Median age | 36.3 | 31.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 43% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $64,523 | $80,108 |
| Median home value | $283,200 | $402,100 |
| Home value to income | 4.4× | 5.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,256 | $1,481 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.5 | 96.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.6 | 104.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,600 | $72,300 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.61% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.5 | 26.7 |
| Work from home | 14% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.4% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 19.1% | 8.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 51° / 32° | 48° / 28° |
| July high / low | 91° / 71° | 89° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 55 in | 56 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 58 | 48 |
| Nights below freezing | 56 | 89 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.3 | 91.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 51% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.9% | +1.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.5% | +45.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Chattanooga: May and September to October. Murfreesboro: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Chattanooga weather by month and Murfreesboro weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,600 in Chattanooga and $72,300 in Murfreesboro. Moving from Chattanooga to Murfreesboro, you would need about $79,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chattanooga and Murfreesboro
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Chattanooga and Murfreesboro.
Which would you pick?
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