State comparison
New York vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $8,600 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,575 a year against $6,580 in New York.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 7 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: New York vs Tennessee
New York has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.9%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,862 a year. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York and 9.55% in Tennessee; New York is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $12,349 a year in New York, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 51% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $120K gap in Tennessee's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $2,000 in Tennessee, so New York is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New York is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 76% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring New York.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.1-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors New York. New York expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 29 places apart in New York's favor. Tennessee runs a school-choice voucher program; New York does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New York went to Harris by 12 points and Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
New York has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F, so New York regulates guns more tightly and Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New York and banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee, and marijuana is legal for adults in New York and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm). Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
New York
9
Tennessee
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York or Tennessee better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $12,349); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 139); New York on safety (379 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); New York on schools (ranked 12th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, New York or Tennessee?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $8,600 a year.
Does New York or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,349 a year in New York ($3,862 income tax, $6,580 property tax on the median home and $1,906 in sales tax) and $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New York or Tennessee?
New York, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 1,480 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, New York or Tennessee?
New York. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st. Tennessee also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New York or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. New York does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,580 a year in New York and $1,575 in Tennessee.