Chattanooga vs Rock Hill
The short version
- Chattanooga is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Rock Hill area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $283,200 in Chattanooga and $295,100 in Rock Hill.
- Households earn more in Rock Hill ($68,771 vs $64,523 median).
- Chattanooga is growing faster: +6.9% since 2020 vs +2.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Chattanooga (19 vs 25 minutes each way).
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; South Carolina's top rate is 6%.
Side by side
| Chattanooga, TN | Rock Hill, SC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 194,144 | 75,911 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.9% | +2.1% |
| People per square mile | 1,364 | 1,706 |
| Median age | 36.3 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $64,523 | $68,771 |
| Median home value | $283,200 | $295,100 |
| Home value to income | 4.4× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,256 | $1,341 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.5 | 97.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.6 | 97.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,600 | $73,000 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | None | 6% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.61% | 7.49% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.5 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 19.1% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 51° / 32° | 52° / 31° |
| July high / low | 91° / 71° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 55 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 58 | 55 |
| Nights below freezing | 56 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.3 | 88.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 51% | 46% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.9% | +1.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.5% | +49.9% |
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. Rock Hill: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Chattanooga weather by month and Rock Hill 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 $73,000 in Rock Hill. Moving from Chattanooga to Rock Hill, you would need about $79,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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