Overall
85.5
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Jackson, TN
Cost-of-living indicators for Jackson, TN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.5
- Overall RPP
- #377
- of 387 metros
- 56.6
- Rents RPP
- $117K
- $100K national buys
Jackson ranks #377 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Wildwood-The Villages
The verdict
Jackson costs less than 97% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.5, 14.5% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 56.6.
- bottom 3%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 72.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,929 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,522.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Jackson's overall RPP fell -1.3 points, from 86.8 in 2023 to 85.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 75.8 to 72.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 3.4 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Jackson overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.1 |
| 2009 | 82.7 |
| 2010 | 85.4 |
| 2011 | 85.9 |
| 2012 | 87.6 |
| 2013 | 85.2 |
| 2014 | 87.0 |
| 2015 | 87.2 |
| 2016 | 85.9 |
| 2017 | 85.8 |
| 2018 | 84.2 |
| 2019 | 84.2 |
| 2020 | 83.8 |
| 2021 | 85.2 |
| 2022 | 86.8 |
| 2023 | 86.8 |
| 2024 | 85.5 |
Jackson vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 3% higher than 3% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Jackson cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
56.6 RPP
- Services
Services
72.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Jackson's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 56.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 72.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Jackson's cost comes from
Metros near Jackson's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Jackson (Jackson, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.6
- Wildwood: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 51.7
- Gadsden: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 53.7
- Alexandria: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 53.7
- Joplin: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 54
- Hot Springs: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 57.3
- Lake Charles: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 51.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
72.6
Cheap
Rents
56.6
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Jackson's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Jackson: rents index at 56.6, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 85.5.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Morristown, TN, Lawton, OK, Owensboro, KY. They resemble Jackson across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Jackson's overall index has stayed within 0.6 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,522
in Jackson, TN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,761
$75,000 nationally
$64,142
$125,000 nationally
$106,903
$150,000 nationally
$128,283
$200,000 nationally
$171,044
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
89/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
89th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
TN-relative analysis
Rent prices places Jackson, TN near the bottom of TN's metros
Among the 10 TN metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Jackson, TN ranks #9 - the 10th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Jackson, TN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
30th percentile in TN
Services prices
#4 of 10
60th percentile in TN
Rent prices
#9 of 10
10th percentile in TN
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within TN only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Jackson, TN: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (85.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (56.6 here).
Other TN Metros
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 96.3 Knoxville, TN 92.6 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 92.2 Chattanooga, TN-GA 91.5 Clarksville, TN-KY 90.9 Cleveland, TN 88.1
View all TN metros → Cheapest in TN → Most expensive in TN →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Jackson's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Morristown, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.4 · Rents 59.0 Lawton, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 73.0 · Rents 57.4 Owensboro, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.2 · Rents 55.7 Hot Springs, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 74.3 · Rents 57.3 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.9 · Rents 56.5 Lafayette, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.2 · Rents 58.8
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Jackson, TN's index of 85.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Jackson
How to read Jackson's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $116,929 in Jackson. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 56.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Jackson head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Jackson, TN?
Jackson, TN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.5, meaning it is 14.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 72.6, and rents at 56.6. It ranks #377 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Jackson, TN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,522 in Jackson, TN. Conversely, $100K earned in Jackson, TN has the purchasing power of $116,929 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Jackson, TN?
Rents in Jackson, TN are indexed at 56.6, which is 43.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Jackson, TN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Jackson, TN's overall cost index changed by -0.6 points (from 86.1 to 85.5). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Jackson, TN?
The priciest category in Jackson, TN is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 56.6, 43.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Jackson, TN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Wildwood-The Villages, Gadsden, Alexandria. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Jackson, TN's 85.5.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.