S T SalaryCompareTool

Software Developers salary in Nashville, TN

Median pay for software developers in Nashville, TN: $119,380/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $77,160 – $156,220 · about 7,750 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($111,055) by +$8,325 (+7%).

What it's really worth in Nashville

With Nashville's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $119,380 has the buying power of about $123,042 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $79,020 · median home $455,958 · median rent $1,798/mo.

Full Nashville cost of living & taxes →

How Nashville ranks for this job

On raw pay, Nashville, TN is 67th of the 186 metros we hold software developers wages for. Once Nashville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 65th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Nashville sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Nashville

A median home in Nashville, TN costs $455,958 — about 3.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,798/mo works out at 18% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where software developers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Nashville.

MetroMedian payvs NashvilleRent vs Nashville
San Jose, CA $199,100 +67%
San Francisco, CA $172,340 +44% 1.8×
Seattle, WA $167,030 +40% 1.2×
Santa Maria, CA $154,200 +29% 1.9×

Same job elsewhere in TN

MetroMedian payvs NashvilleRent vs Nashville
Memphis, TN $113,500 −5% 0.8×
Kingsport, TN $107,190 −10% 0.8×
Knoxville, TN $106,530 −11%
Chattanooga, TN $102,630 −14% 0.9×

Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Nashville

Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.