Is Clarksville cheaper than Jacksonville?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Clarksville and Jacksonville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Clarksville or Jacksonville?

Household incomes are similar — $72,347 in the Clarksville metro versus $73,004 in Jacksonville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Clarksville or Jacksonville?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($79,549 versus $79,279).

Which has cheaper rent, Clarksville or Jacksonville?

Clarksville has cheaper rent — a median of $1,260/mo versus $1,389/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Clarksville vs Jacksonville

Metro-area medians — Clarksville, TN-KY Metro Area vs Jacksonville, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Clarksville comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Clarksville and Jacksonville are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Clarksville has the tighter job market — 4.7% unemployment versus 5.6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Clarksville, TN

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$67,417

real value after local prices

Jacksonville, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,711

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Clarksville leaves you about $3,706/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Clarksville

Jacksonville

Livability (CityLedger)

41/100

39/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.9

92.1

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$79,549

$79,279

Median household income

$72,347

$73,004

Median rent

$1,260/mo

$1,389/mo

Median home value

$291,700

$262,000

Unemployment

4.7%

5.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

26.6%

24.5%

Average commute

27.5 min

23.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

58°F

64°F

Choose Clarksville for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Clarksville profile →

Choose Jacksonville for

+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full Jacksonville profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Clarksville and Jacksonville on cost, income, size, and education.

Clarksville vs Spartanburg→Clarksville vs Killeen→Clarksville vs Gulfport→Jacksonville vs Odessa→Jacksonville vs Fayetteville→Jacksonville vs Killeen→

Clarksville vs Jacksonville — frequently asked

Is Clarksville cheaper than Jacksonville?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Clarksville and Jacksonville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Clarksville or Jacksonville?: Household incomes are similar — $72,347 in the Clarksville metro versus $73,004 in Jacksonville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Clarksville or Jacksonville?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($79,549 versus $79,279).
Which has cheaper rent, Clarksville or Jacksonville?: Clarksville has cheaper rent — a median of $1,260/mo versus $1,389/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).