How Does Nashville Compare to Other Southern Cities?
- 6 sections
- 1 table
- 5 sources cited
Among the South’s large metro areas, Nashville sits in the middle on size and growth and close to the national average on prices, with housing that costs more than average and almost everything else a little less. It is about a third the size of metro Atlanta, smaller than Charlotte and Austin, and much larger and faster-growing than Memphis or Birmingham. What sets it apart is less a statistic than an industry mix: country music, health care company headquarters, and a very large visitor economy.
The Numbers Side by Side
The table combines the Census Bureau’s 2025 metro population estimates (metro file) with the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s 2024 Regional Price Parities, which compare price levels across metro areas with the U.S. average set at 100 (published on FRED, for example Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin).
| Metro area | Population, 2025 | Growth since April 2020 | Overall prices (U.S. = 100) | Housing (U.S. = 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 6,482,182 | 6.1% | 100.1 | 111.0 |
| Charlotte | 2,938,830 | 10.5% | 97.3 | 97.6 |
| Austin | 2,620,945 | 14.8% | 98.1 | 120.4 |
| Nashville | 2,197,416 | 9.1% | 96.3 | 104.6 |
| Raleigh | 1,595,720 | 12.9% | 98.2 | 103.5 |
| Memphis | 1,341,412 | −0.3% | 92.2 | 79.8 |
| Birmingham | 1,197,766 | 1.5% | 91.6 | 71.9 |
Price parities are for 2024 and the BEA revises earlier years with each release; population growth runs from the April 2020 estimates base to July 2025.
Nashville and Atlanta
Atlanta is the region’s giant, with almost three times Nashville’s metro population, and it grew more slowly in percentage terms over 2020 to 2025. Prices overall are about the national average in both, but housing costs more in metro Atlanta by the BEA measure. If you are choosing between them, the difference is mostly scale: a metro of 6.5 million spreads jobs, neighborhoods, and commutes over a much larger area than one of 2.2 million.
Nashville and Austin
These two invite comparison because both are music cities that boomed. Austin grew faster (14.8 percent against 9.1 percent) and has much higher housing costs relative to the national average (120.4 against 104.6). Nashville’s music identity is built around the business of making records and songs as well as performing them. For a newcomer, the housing gap is the most practical difference.
Nashville and Charlotte
Charlotte is the closest match in growth rate (10.5 percent against 9.1), though its metro is about a third larger. Its housing costs are slightly below the national average while Nashville’s are slightly above. On transit, Nashville’s only passenger rail is the WeGo Star, a weekday commuter train that runs from Lebanon to Riverfront Station at the foot of Broadway (WeGo Star); everything else is bus service.
Nashville and Tennessee’s Other Big Metro
Memphis and Nashville are Tennessee’s two large metros, and the numbers show how differently they have moved: Nashville’s metro grew 9.1 percent from 2020 to 2025 while the Memphis metro was essentially flat, and Memphis remains much cheaper, especially for housing (79.8 against 104.6). How Nashville differs from the rest of the state more broadly is covered in how Nashville is different from the rest of Tennessee, and the question of regional identity in whether Nashville is a Southern city.
Choosing Among Them
If your decision is about cost, compare the housing column first; it varies far more than overall prices. If it is about jobs, look at the industries you work in rather than the city’s reputation. If it is about everyday life, spend a weekday, not just a weekend, in the city you are considering, since the visitor experience of Nashville and the resident experience are not the same.