Huntsville vs Murfreesboro
The short version
- Huntsville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Murfreesboro area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $293,600 in Huntsville and $402,100 in Murfreesboro.
- Households earn more in Murfreesboro ($80,108 vs $74,714 median).
- Huntsville has the warmer winter: January highs of 52°F vs 48°F.
- Murfreesboro is growing faster: +12% since 2020 vs +8.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Huntsville (20 vs 27 minutes each way).
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Alabama's top rate is 5%.
Side by side
| Huntsville, AL | Murfreesboro, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 233,627 | 171,178 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.7% | +12% |
| People per square mile | 1,037 | 2,652 |
| Median age | 36.9 | 31.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 43% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $74,714 | $80,108 |
| Median home value | $293,600 | $402,100 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 5.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,171 | $1,481 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 96.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 77.9 | 104.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $72,300 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 5% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.46% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.7 | 26.7 |
| Work from home | 15% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.1% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% | 8.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 33° | 48° / 28° |
| July high / low | 92° / 71° | 89° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 54 in | 56 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 48 |
| Nights below freezing | 56 | 89 |
| Comfortable months | 1 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.6 | 91.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +1.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43% | +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: Huntsville: October. Murfreesboro: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Huntsville 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 $69,800 in Huntsville and $72,300 in Murfreesboro. Moving from Huntsville to Murfreesboro, you would need about $77,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Huntsville 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 Huntsville and Murfreesboro.
Which would you pick?
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