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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, Tennessee has about 185,783 people. Typical rent is $1,256 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $64,523 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.

Ranked #86 in Tennessee on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,256 a month.

Chattanooga is a city in Tennessee. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $64,523 a year.

Is Chattanooga affordable?See benefits in Chattanooga
People
185,783
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,256
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$64,523
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$283,200
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,340
Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA

Chattanooga, Tennessee has about 185,783 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $283,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Hamilton County is $1,340 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Chattanooga. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area, prices sit at 91.5 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Tennessee does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.6% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Chattanooga'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 Chattanooga'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, 49 have higher typical rent than Chattanooga.

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 ChattanoogaWhat 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.