Overall
86.4
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Morristown, TN
Cost-of-living indicators for Morristown, TN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.4
- Overall RPP
- #362
- of 387 metros
- 59.0
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Morristown ranks #362 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to St. Joseph
The verdict
Morristown costs less than 94% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.4, 13.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 59.0.
- bottom 6%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 72.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $115,789 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,364.
Morristown vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 6% higher than 6% 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
Morristown cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
59 RPP
- Services
Services
72.4 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Morristown's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 59.0 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 72.4. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Morristown's cost comes from
Metros near Morristown's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Morristown (Morristown, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 59
- St. Joseph: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 55.4
- Kingsport: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.5
- Sioux City: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 57.8
- Paducah: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 48.8
- Cape Girardeau: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 56.4
- Grand Island: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 61.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
72.4
Cheap
Rents
59.0
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Morristown's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Morristown: rents index at 59.0, 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 86.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Cleveland, TN, Jackson, TN, Lafayette, LA. They resemble Morristown 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, Morristown's overall index has stayed within 0.0 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:
$86,364
in Morristown, TN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,182
$75,000 nationally
$64,773
$125,000 nationally
$107,955
$150,000 nationally
$129,546
$200,000 nationally
$172,728
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
85/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
85th 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.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Morristown's overall RPP fell -0.8 points, from 87.2 in 2023 to 86.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 76.2 to 72.4. 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 0.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 4.0 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Morristown overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.3 |
| 2009 | 82.8 |
| 2010 | 86.8 |
| 2011 | 88.1 |
| 2012 | 88.6 |
| 2013 | 88.4 |
| 2014 | 86.9 |
| 2015 | 87.3 |
| 2016 | 85.6 |
| 2017 | 86.6 |
| 2018 | 86.2 |
| 2019 | 87.1 |
| 2020 | 84.6 |
| 2021 | 84.8 |
| 2022 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 87.2 |
| 2024 | 86.4 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Morristown'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.
Cleveland, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.3 · Rents 60.3 Jackson, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.6 · Rents 56.6 Lafayette, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.2 · Rents 58.8 Lawton, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 73.0 · Rents 57.4 Hot Springs, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 74.3 · Rents 57.3 Grand Island, NE
Goods 94.1 · Services 74.2 · Rents 61.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Morristown, TN's index of 86.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TN-relative analysis
Rent prices places Morristown, TN toward the bottom of TN's metros
Among the 10 TN metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Morristown, TN ranks #8 - the 20th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Morristown, TN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
30th percentile in TN
Services prices
#6 of 10
40th percentile in TN
Rent prices
#8 of 10
20th 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 Morristown, 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 (86.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (59.0 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 →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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.
What this means for Morristown
How to read Morristown'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 $115,789 in Morristown. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 59.0, 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 Morristown 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 Morristown, TN?
Morristown, TN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.4, meaning it is 13.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 72.4, and rents at 59.0. It ranks #362 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Morristown, TN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,364 in Morristown, TN. Conversely, $100K earned in Morristown, TN has the purchasing power of $115,789 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Morristown, TN?
Rents in Morristown, TN are indexed at 59.0, which is 41.0% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Morristown, TN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Morristown, TN's overall cost index changed by +0.0 points (from 86.3 to 86.4). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Morristown, TN?
The priciest category in Morristown, 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 59.0, 41.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Morristown, TN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include St. Joseph, Kingsport-Bristol, Sioux City. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Morristown, TN's 86.4.
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.