Nashville suburbs, ranked on price, tax, distance and value change

Nashville suburbs at a glance

Which Nashville suburbs to tour first: the scoring rule

If you tour only three suburbs, make them Nolensville, Mount Juliet and Franklin: they're the top three on a score that anyone can recompute from public data. Brentwood is a close fourth if price isn't the constraint.

The score has four inputs and 100 points:

• Home price, 30 points: Zillow's typical home value for September 2026; the cheapest town gets all 30.
• Distance, 30 points: straight-line miles from the town's Census point to downtown Nashville (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer). Driving distance and time are longer and vary with traffic, so treat miles as a ranking input, not a commute estimate.
• Property tax, 20 points: effective tax on market value. Williamson County towns use the county's official 2026 combined rates; towns in other counties use the Comptroller's 2025 rates, adjusted by each county's appraisal ratio, and are labeled 2025.
• One-year value change, 20 points: Zillow, September 2025 to September 2026.

Each town earns points in proportion to where it falls between the best and worst of the 13 on that input, and the inputs add up to 100. Crime and school ratings aren't scored because no one source covers all 13 towns on the same basis in the same year. We're a Franklin relocation site, so check Franklin's third place against the table rather than taking our word for it.

Best Nashville suburbs: the top four

1. Nolensville: 75.3

Nolensville is 16.1 straight-line miles southeast of downtown, close to Brentwood's distance at about 60% of Brentwood's price. Zillow's typical value of $834,285 set a record in September 2026 after a 3.56% gain, the second biggest of the 13. The 2026 combined rate of $1.64 per $100 assessed works out to about $3,421 a year on that typical home. The catch is that Nolensville is still a high-priced town: only Franklin and Brentwood cost more. The Nolensville town guide covers its subdivisions and the county roads in.

2. Mount Juliet, a Wilson County suburb: 74.7

East of the city, Mount Juliet combines a $556,817 typical home with the shortest distance of the eastern suburbs (15.5 miles) and an estimated effective tax of about 0.38%. That low tax has an asterisk. Wilson County's 2025 appraisal ratio was 0.6854, so assessments sit well under market prices, and the next reappraisal could raise bills noticeably. Mount Juliet also gained only 0.61% this year.

3. Franklin: 70.0

Franklin sits 18.2 straight-line miles south of downtown along I-65. Its typical value, $913,277, rose 3.02% in a year and hit a record in September 2026. Outside the Franklin Special School District (FSSD) the 2026 rate is $1.566 (about $3,575 a year on that value); inside it, $2.2433 (about $5,122). Price is the drag. The drive from Franklin to Nashville is covered route by route on its own page.

4. Brentwood: 68.2

The closest suburb on the list is Brentwood, 12.3 miles from downtown, with the biggest one-year gain (+4.08%) and a 2026 rate of $1.49. Brentwood would rank first if price weren't scored. Zillow's typical value of $1,388,985 is the highest in the region, and in dollars the estimated $5,174 tax bill is the largest of the 13.

Nashville suburbs ranked 5 to 9

Each of these five gives up points on momentum, distance or both, and all but Thompson's Station have a typical home under $520,000.

5. Hendersonville, a Sumner County suburb: 67.3

Hendersonville is the second-closest suburb at 14.0 miles north of downtown, with a typical home of $515,384. Values have edged up 0.59% in a year but remain under the August 2022 peak of $527,608. Sumner County's appraisal ratio of 1.0 means the estimated $2,589 tax bill isn't hiding a reappraisal jump.

6. Lebanon, a Wilson County suburb: 65.3

Lebanon has the lowest estimated tax bill of the 13, about $1,964 on a $441,712 home, and its value rose 1.22%. It's 24.6 miles out, the far edge of the eastern suburbs. The same Wilson County appraisal-ratio caveat as Mount Juliet applies, and Lebanon's city tax rate (0.6855 per $100 in 2025) is more than twice Mount Juliet's.

7. Thompson's Station: 64.2

This Williamson County town has the lowest 2026 combined rate on the list, $1.403, which is about $2,555 a year on the $728,431 typical home. Distance holds it back: 25.8 straight-line miles to downtown, past Franklin. The value dipped from its January 2026 peak of $732,932 but is still up 1.44% on the year.

8. Gallatin, a Sumner County suburb: 61.3

Gallatin, 22.9 miles northeast, is the cheaper northern option at $436,321. Its value sits about 3% under its August 2022 peak, and five-year growth of 17.3% is among the weakest of the group.

9. Smyrna, a Rutherford County suburb: 58.1

Smyrna's $400,537 typical home makes it the cheapest suburb inside 20 miles. It lost 0.78% this year, the biggest drop on the list, which is good news if you're buying and less so if you plan to sell within a few years. Rutherford County's appraisal ratio (0.8462) means the estimated $2,035 bill could rise at reappraisal.

Nashville suburbs ranked 10 to 13

Three of these four are about 30 miles or more from downtown, and distance carries 30 of the 100 points.

10. Fairview: 52.7

Fairview, 23.2 miles southwest, is the cheapest town entirely inside Williamson County at $535,208. Its city rate rose in 2026, lifting the combined rate to $2.1404 (about $2,864 a year), the highest among the Williamson towns outside the FSSD. That rate change, plus a 0.23% gain this year, keeps it in the bottom four. The Williamson County towns overview sets Fairview beside its neighbors.

11. Spring Hill: 49.0

Spring Hill straddles the Williamson-Maury county line about 30 miles south. We scored the Williamson side, where the 2026 combined rate is $2.009 (about $2,606 a year on the $518,832 typical home). Maury County reappraised in 2026 and its new rate isn't verified, so for a Maury-side home, get the rate from the Maury County Trustee before you estimate a bill. Values are about 5% under the July 2022 peak.

12. Columbia, Maury County: 41.4

Columbia has the cheapest typical home of the 13 at $369,414 and the best ten-year growth in the region, but at 40.4 miles it's the farthest of the 13. It scores first on price and last on distance.

13. Murfreesboro, Rutherford County: 40.7

Murfreesboro is about 30 miles southeast with a $424,348 typical home that slipped 0.51% this year. Its estimated effective tax, about 0.60% of value, is the highest of the 13, which leaves it last despite a moderate price.

Nashville suburbs compared: every input

Estimated tax is on Zillow's typical value; the assessor's appraisal of a real home will differ. Miles are straight-line from Census points to downtown Nashville.

Nashville itself: the baseline for the suburbs

The city isn't in the ranking, but it's the comparison every suburb is measured against. Zillow's typical Nashville value is $425,889, down 2.53% in a year. Davidson County's 2025 combined rate of $2.814 per $100 is about 0.70% of value, roughly $2,996 a year on that home, which is a higher rate than any suburb on the list. Our guide to moving to Nashville compares the city and the suburbs in full.

Nashville suburbs at record highs and below their peaks

Every Williamson County suburb gained value over the past year, and three of them (Brentwood, Nolensville and Franklin) set Zillow records in September 2026. Mount Juliet in Wilson County hit a record too. Most of the northern and Rutherford County suburbs are still below the peaks they reached in mid-2022.

What a record high means for a Nashville suburbs buyer

In the at-peak suburbs, sellers have recent sales backing their prices, so expect less room to negotiate. In the towns still below 2022 levels, you can point to a lower trend line, and the metro-wide numbers back you up: across the Nashville metro, 34% of listings had a price cut and homes took 64 days to go under contract in August 2026. Austin is the warning on the other side; its typical value is still 27% under its 2022 peak, as our Nashville vs Austin comparison shows.

What a typical home costs each month in the Nashville suburbs

A typical home costs from about $2,213 a month in Columbia to $8,125 in Brentwood, with 20% down at 7.4%, Freddie Mac's 30-year average for the week of October 15, 2026, plus the estimated property tax. Insurance and any HOA dues come on top.

The gap between the cheapest and dearest suburb is about $5,900 a month, and nearly all of it is the mortgage, not the tax. Tax per month varies by only about $270 across all 13 towns. If you're stretching for Williamson County, Fairview and the Williamson side of Spring Hill are the two ways in at roughly $3,100 to $3,200 a month.

Shortlist Nashville suburbs in three questions

Answer these in order and you'll be down to two or three towns before you book a tour.

Where is the job? Pick the side of Nashville first

The suburbs sit on different sides of the city, and crossing downtown twice a day is the commute to avoid. If you'll work in Cool Springs, Maryland Farms or anywhere along I-65 south, start with Brentwood, Franklin, Nolensville and Thompson's Station. For a job east of the city, Mount Juliet and Lebanon are on the right side. Hendersonville and Gallatin are the northern pair, and Smyrna and Murfreesboro sit to the southeast.

What's the budget? Match it to the suburb's typical home

Under about $450,000, the typical home fits in Smyrna, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Gallatin and Lebanon. Between $500,000 and $560,000, it's Hendersonville, Spring Hill, Fairview and Mount Juliet. Above $700,000 you're looking at Thompson's Station, Nolensville, Franklin and Brentwood. Typical values are a middle figure, so each town has homes on both sides of it.

Will the tax bill reset? Check the county's appraisal ratio

A county's appraisal ratio shows how close its assessments are to market value. A ratio of 1.0 means the county reappraised recently and your bill is already based on current prices; a lower ratio means a reappraisal is likely to raise assessed values.

The ratio is the reason Mount Juliet's and Lebanon's estimated tax looks so low. Budget for a higher bill there after the county's next reappraisal, and ask the county assessor when that's scheduled.

Re-weight the Nashville suburbs score

Change the weights and the order changes. Three versions on the same data:

• Commute first (miles 60, price 40): Hendersonville leads at 90.6, then Mount Juliet, Smyrna and Gallatin. Nolensville drops to fifth and Franklin falls out of the top five.
• Monthly cost first (price 50, tax 50): Mount Juliet (85.5), Thompson's Station (82.4) and Lebanon (77.4) lead; Brentwood falls to last.
• Equal weights (25 each): Nolensville (76.6), Brentwood (72.8), Mount Juliet (72.1) and Franklin (71.8) are within five points of each other.

Mount Juliet stays in the top three under every version, the strongest case for touring it first. Nolensville ranges from first on equal weights to sixth when only monthly cost counts.

Nashville suburbs within 30 miles of downtown

Twelve of the 13 towns are within about 30 straight-line miles of downtown Nashville. Driving distance is longer and drive time depends on the route and the hour, so test the drive at rush hour before you commit.

Franklin or Brentwood: which Nashville suburb fits your budget

The two are neighbors and score within two points of each other, so the decision is about price and tax.

Brentwood home prices and tax

Brentwood's typical home is $1,388,985, about $476,000 more than Franklin's, and it's 6 miles closer to downtown in a straight line. Its 2026 rate of $1.49 is the lower of the two, but on a much higher value the estimated bill is $5,174.

Franklin home prices and the FSSD line

Franklin's $913,277 typical home carries about $3,575 a year outside the FSSD and about $5,122 inside it, so a Franklin home inside the district can carry a Brentwood-sized tax bill at two-thirds of the price. Check the parcel record for any address: a Franklin mailing address doesn't mean the home is inside city limits or the FSSD.

Safety and schools in the Nashville suburbs: how to check

Crime data for Nashville suburbs

For crime, use the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's CrimeInsight data by agency, or the FBI's Crime Data Explorer, and compare the same offense group per 1,000 residents in the same year. We don't label any suburb safe or unsafe; our Franklin crime statistics page walks through the method.

School districts in the Nashville suburbs

The suburbs here are served by at least six public systems, including Williamson County Schools, the Franklin Special School District, Wilson County, Sumner County, Rutherford County and Maury County Public Schools. The Tennessee Department of Education rated FSSD Exemplary for 2024-25, one of 14 districts in the top tier. Use each district's own zone finder for a specific address; our Franklin schools guide links the two Franklin systems' tools.