Nashville vs Austin: property tax, home prices and what you'd pay

Nashville vs Austin: which fits your situation

On a typical home, Nashville is the cheaper place to live month to month, and Austin is the bigger discount from its peak. The gap is about $805 a month with tax, on an Austin estimate that uses 2025 rates, so ask for the home's Travis County tax statement before you decide on price alone.

For the rest of the city-or-suburb decision, start with our guide to moving to Nashville, and for a second comparison on the same basis, see Nashville vs Charlotte. Confirm how the move affects your own tax position with a CPA.

Nashville vs Austin by the numbers

The Austin rates beyond the City's (Austin ISD $0.9252, Travis County $0.375845 and Central Health $0.118023 per $100 for 2025) weren't checked against the taxing units' own statements, and Austin Community College's rate is missing. The home's actual Travis County tax statement settles all of them.

Nashville vs Austin: property tax is the deciding line

Estimated property tax on Austin's typical home

On Austin's $491,960 typical home with only the $140,000 school homestead exemption, those 2025 rates add up to roughly $8,260 a year: about $2,580 to the City, $1,850 to Travis County, $580 to Central Health and $3,260 to Austin ISD. Austin Community College's levy would add to that, and any city or county homestead exemption would subtract from it.

Property tax on Nashville's typical home

Nashville's typical $425,889 home carries about $2,996 a year at the 2025 rate inside the Urban Services District: 25% of the value, times $2.814 per $100. Austin's real bill would have to come in about $5,260 under our estimate before Nashville's stopped being the smaller one.

What the Austin tax gap means each month

On these estimates, Austin's tax runs about $689 a month against Nashville's $250. Add it to principal and interest and the typical Austin home costs about $3,414 a month against about $2,609 in Nashville, roughly $9,660 a year more, before insurance.

Nashville vs Austin home prices: how far each has fallen

Austin home values since the 2022 peak

Austin's typical value hit $671,264 in June 2022 and has fallen to $491,960, down 15.2% over five years and 3.21% over the past year. For a buyer, that's the deepest discount from peak among the metros we track. If you plan to sell within a few years, it also shows how far values can fall.

Selling in Austin to buy in Nashville

If you're selling an Austin home to fund the move, the peak matters to you directly. A home that tracked Zillow's typical value from the June 2022 peak to September 2026 is worth about $179,000 less, so check your equity against today's figure before you set a Nashville budget. Nashville's typical home, at $425,889, costs about $66,000 less than Austin's.

Home values in Nashville since the 2022 peak

The typical Nashville value peaked two months later, at $452,526, and has given back about 6%. Five-year growth is still positive at 16.0%. In Williamson County the trend is the opposite: Franklin's typical home, $913,277, set a record in September 2026.

Where you'd live: Nashville vs Austin homes and costs

Austin's suburbs aren't priced here. On the Nashville side, Smyrna sits below Austin's typical value, and Hendersonville and Mount Juliet come within about $65,000 of it.

Living in Franklin instead of Austin

Franklin's typical home costs about $421,000 more than Austin's, yet its estimated tax bill outside the Franklin Special School District is less than half. Inside the FSSD the 2026 rate rises to $2.2433, about $5,122 on that home. Our Franklin and Williamson County tax rates for 2026 show the lines that set the bill.

Living in a Nashville suburb at Austin's price

At about Austin's price point, Hendersonville and Mount Juliet are the closest matches, both with estimated tax bills under $2,600. The Nashville suburbs ranking scores them against 11 other towns.

Homestead exemptions: Nashville vs Austin for owners 65 and older

Texas homestead exemption in Austin

Every Texas school district must exempt $140,000 of a residence homestead's value, plus another $60,000 for owners who are 65 or older or disabled. There's no state property tax in Texas. At Austin ISD's $0.9252 rate, the $140,000 takes about $1,295 off the school bill and the extra $60,000 about $555.

Tennessee property tax relief in Nashville

Tennessee has no exemption for every owner. Owners 65 and older can apply for the state's Property Tax Relief program if their household income is low enough, and Davidson County runs a tax freeze with a 2026 income limit of $63,470. The details for Franklin are in our Tennessee tax freeze and relief comparison.

Nashville vs Austin sales tax and everyday costs

Sales tax is the one line where Austin wins. Texas charges 6.25% statewide and lets local governments add up to 2%, so the combined rate is capped at 8.25%. Davidson County's general rate is 9.75%, and groceries there are taxed at 5.75% from November 1, 2026. On $20,000 a year of taxable purchases, a 1.5-point gap is about $300, a small number next to the property tax difference.

Utilities, insurance and commuting costs aren't in our comparison. For the Franklin side of the budget, our Franklin cost of living guide adds the monthly bills.

Moving from Austin to Nashville: checks and first steps

Three checks before choosing Nashville vs Austin

1. Get the current Travis County tax statement for any Austin home, with its exemptions listed, rather than relying on rate math.
2. For a Nashville-area home, check the parcel's tax district: inside or outside the Urban Services District in Davidson County, and city limits plus the FSSD line in Franklin.
3. Price the monthly cost with tax, not the list price: on typical homes, the cheaper monthly payment is in Nashville even though Austin's prices have fallen further.

Your first month in Tennessee after leaving Austin

You have 30 days after becoming a Tennessee resident to swap your Texas license for a Tennessee one, with proof of identity and two proofs of residency. Title and register your car with the county clerk; in Williamson County a new-resident registration is $68.75 in 2026 and there's no emissions test. Register to vote in your new county. The Tennessee move checklist lists the rest in order.