State comparison
Tennessee vs Washington: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $3,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Washington, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,575 a year against $4,788 in Washington.
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 6 categories
Washington
Moderate tax burden · COL index 117
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Tennessee vs Washington
Neither Tennessee nor Washington has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 0.45% of home value a year in Tennessee and 0.84% in Washington (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,575 against $4,788, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55% in Tennessee and 9.38% in Washington; Washington is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $3,712 a year in Tennessee, $6,887 in Washington. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Tennessee's cost of living index is 92 and Washington's is 117, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 27% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Tennessee and $570K in Washington (Zillow, 2024), a $220K gap in Tennessee's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Tennessee and $2,000 in Washington.
Home insurance averages $2,000 a year in Tennessee and $900 in Washington, so Washington is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 668 incidents per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 347 in Washington (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Washington is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 93% lower. Property crime is 2,752 per 100,000 in Tennessee against 3,187 in Washington, again favoring Tennessee.
Health
Life expectancy is 74.2 years in Tennessee and 79.3 in Washington (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.1-year edge for Washington. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Tennessee's health system 39th of 50 and Washington's 10th, so Washington scores better on care.
10.4% of Tennessee residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Washington, which favors Washington. Washington expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee's K-12 schools 41st in the country and Washington's 7th, 34 places apart in Washington's favor. Tennessee runs a school-choice voucher program; Washington does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points and Washington went to Harris by 16 points.
Tennessee has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Washington has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Washington regulates guns more tightly and Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee and protected by state law in Washington, and marijuana is illegal in Tennessee and legal for adults in Washington as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Tennessee and $16.28 in Washington.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and high in Washington (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Tennessee and 40 in Washington (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
6
Tennessee
8
Washington
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Tennessee or Washington better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $6,887); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 117); Washington on safety (347 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Washington on schools (ranked 7th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Tennessee or Washington?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 117. The median home is $350K in Tennessee and $570K in Washington (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $3,200 a year.
Does Tennessee or Washington have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,712 a year in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax) and $6,887 in Washington ($0 income tax, $4,788 property tax on the median home and $2,099 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Tennessee or Washington?
Washington, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 668 per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 347 in Washington; property crime is 2,752 against 3,187.
Which has better schools, Tennessee or Washington?
Washington. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee 41st of 50 for K-12 and Washington 7th. Tennessee also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Tennessee or Washington better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Washington does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,575 a year in Tennessee and $4,788 in Washington.