Nashville vs Rock Hill
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $295,100 in Rock Hill and $413,600 in Nashville.
- Households earn more in Nashville ($77,371 vs $68,771 median).
- Nashville is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs +2.1%.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; South Carolina's top rate is 6%.
Side by side
| Nashville, TN | Rock Hill, SC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 721,074 | 75,911 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.6% | +2.1% |
| People per square mile | 1,516 | 1,706 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $77,371 | $68,771 |
| Median home value | $413,600 | $295,100 |
| Home value to income | 5.3× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,586 | $1,341 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.3 | 97.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 104.6 | 97.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,300 | $73,000 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | None | 6% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.61% | 7.49% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.7 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 20% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.5% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 14.1% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 49° / 30° | 52° / 31° |
| July high / low | 91° / 71° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 51 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 54 | 55 |
| Nights below freezing | 66 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.2 | 88.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 51% | 46% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.6% | +1.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.8% | +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: Nashville: September to October. Rock Hill: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Nashville 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 $72,300 in Nashville and $73,000 in Rock Hill. Moving from Nashville to Rock Hill, you would need about $75,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.