Huntsville vs Chattanooga
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $283,200 in Chattanooga and $293,600 in Huntsville.
- Households earn more in Huntsville ($74,714 vs $64,523 median).
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Alabama's top rate is 5%.
Side by side
| Huntsville, AL | Chattanooga, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 233,627 | 194,144 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.7% | +6.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,037 | 1,364 |
| Median age | 36.9 | 36.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 36% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $74,714 | $64,523 |
| Median home value | $293,600 | $283,200 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 4.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,171 | $1,256 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 91.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 77.9 | 76.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $68,600 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 5% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.46% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.7 | 18.5 |
| Work from home | 15% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.1% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% | 19.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 33° | 51° / 32° |
| July high / low | 92° / 71° | 91° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 54 in | 55 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 58 |
| Nights below freezing | 56 | 56 |
| Comfortable months | 1 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.6 | 93.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +1.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43% | +51.5% |
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: Huntsville: October. Chattanooga: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Huntsville weather by month and Chattanooga weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,800 in Huntsville and $68,600 in Chattanooga. Moving from Huntsville to Chattanooga, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Huntsville and Chattanooga
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Huntsville and Chattanooga.
Which would you pick?
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