Elizabethtown Chattanooga

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Elizabethtown to Chattanooga is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.6 to 91.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $334/mo.

+$1,237
BLS median salary higher in Chattanooga
225 to 602
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.2:1 to 15.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$622
DOL infant care higher / yr in Chattanooga

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 90.6 → 91.5
Rent Delta: +$334/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $334/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 90.6 to 91.5 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $334/mo ($4,008/yr) from $1,056 in Elizabethtown to $1,390 in Chattanooga.

Elizabethtown still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Chattanooga sits #334 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Elizabethtown is #64/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,237 higher ($60,619 → $61,856). Labor-market size: 46,020 tracked jobs at origin vs 261,210 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Kentucky 68 (C, #11/51) vs Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Elizabethtown
Chattanooga
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 90.6
RPP 91.5
Elizabethtown
Rent (2BR)
$1,056/mo
$1,390/mo
Elizabethtown
Wages
$60,619
$61,856
Chattanooga
Crime
225 per 100K
602 per 100K
Elizabethtown
Schools
15.2:1
15.3:1
Elizabethtown
Childcare
$7,238/yr
$7,860/yr
Elizabethtown
Environment
1864 violations
1192 violations
Chattanooga

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Kentucky
68 C #11/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
73
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
38
Destination state · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Elizabethtown to see what you'd need to earn in Chattanooga to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Chattanooga
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026