For renters, the cheapest neighborhoods inside Nashville are McMurray, Woodbine, and Talbot’s Corner, with one-bedroom average rents around $959, $1,210, and $1,114 respectively, based on 2025 data. For buyers, Antioch and Madison remain the most affordable Davidson County neighborhoods for first-time homeowners. All of these come with trade-offs that anyone doing this comparison needs to understand.
Cheapest for renters
McMurray in South Nashville consistently produces the lowest rental averages in the city. One-bedroom apartments average around $959 per month, which is roughly $900 below what you would pay in The Gulch or SoBro. The neighborhood is quiet, has reasonable I-24 and Nolensville Pike access for commuting, and does not have the commercial or cultural density that drives up prices elsewhere. You are not moving to McMurray for the dining scene.
Woodbine (southeast Nashville, near Thompson Lane) and Talbot’s Corner follow. Rent.com’s February 2025 data shows Woodbine at approximately $1,210 for a one-bedroom. Edgehill, a neighborhood between The Gulch and 12 South that has been gentrifying from the edges, surprises some people at around $1,128 for a one-bedroom, though this is shifting as investment moves in.
For comparison, the Nashville citywide average for a one-bedroom is approximately $1,706 to $1,840 depending on the data source. The cheapest neighborhoods save renters $500 to $900 per month against that average.
Cheapest for buyers
Within Davidson County, Antioch and Madison are the areas where a first-time buyer on a normal Nashville income can still find detached single-family homes below the city median. Antioch one-bedroom rentals average around $800 to $1,200 on the low end. Madison has historically produced homes in the $300,000 range, though appreciation is accelerating.
Nashboro Village (near the airport, east Davidson County) is another area with below-median prices and a nature-adjacent character that some buyers find unexpectedly appealing.
The real trade-offs
Davidson County recently underwent a 34% property tax increase, which changes the math on owning in the county’s affordable areas. A cheaper purchase price still carries tax exposure that did not exist a few years ago.
Outside Davidson County, suburbs like La Vergne and Dickson push median prices significantly lower, mid-$300s, but add commute time and move you out of the Metro Nashville school system and government.
The cheapest neighborhood in Nashville by rent or purchase price is not a fixed address. It shifts with the market. The pattern is consistent: the farther from the walkable commercial neighborhoods that attract investment, the cheaper the real estate. What you save in housing, you often pay in commute, in car dependence, and in the absence of the amenities that drove up prices elsewhere.
Sources
- Rent.com, Cheapest neighborhoods in Nashville, February 2025
- ApartmentList, Cheapest neighborhoods in Nashville for renters, 2025
- ApartmentGuide, 9 Most Affordable Neighborhoods in Nashville, 2024
- Felix Homes, Most affordable Nashville neighborhoods guide
- NashvilleSMLS, Cheapest Nashville suburbs guide, August 2025
- WSMV Nashville, Cheapest neighborhoods for renters, May 2024