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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Athens, Tennessee

Simple answer

Typical rent is $846 a month.

Athens is a city in Tennessee. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $53,929 a year.

Is Athens affordable?See benefits in Athens
People
14,471
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$846
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$53,929
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$225,000
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$995
McMinn County, TN

Athens, Tennessee has about 14,471 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $225,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in McMinn County is $995 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Athens. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Tennessee's prices sit at 91.9 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Tennessee does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.6% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Athens's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Tennessee home paid 13.71¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Athens's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Tennessee in the table we use.

Among 278 places we list in Tennessee with a rent figure, 154 have higher typical rent than Athens.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near AthensWhat EBT can buy in Tennessee

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Tennessee

Bigger places in Tennessee

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.