Maybe you've been watching Tennessee real estate long enough to know that Cookeville gets all the attention, but then someone mentions Livingston — thirty minutes east, noticeably cheaper, and with a genuine small-town center still intact. The honest appeal here is straightforward: housing costs are well below what you'd find in the region's larger markets, and the tax structure rewards ownership in ways that compound over time. The catch is that the median household income in this city of 4,147 residents sits at $35,997, which means the math is tighter than the headline number suggests for buyers stretching to purchase on local wages alone.
Livingston is the county seat of Overton County, part of the Cookeville Micropolitan Statistical Area, and sits along TN-111 in the Upper Cumberland region of Middle Tennessee. The city's economic backbone is a short list: Livingston Regional Hospital is the dominant employer, followed by the Overton County Board of Education, Walmart Supercenter, and Ajax Turner Company, a candy manufacturer with deep local roots. Remote workers and retirees have been arriving steadily, drawn by the tax environment and the price of entry — but the city hasn't yet seen the kind of speculative appreciation that has pushed Cookeville and the broader I-40 corridor upward.
Beyond housing, the affordability picture holds up across most everyday categories. Utilities in Tennessee run modestly below the national average, groceries cost a few percent less than the U.S. norm, and the state's complete absence of a personal income tax is a meaningful advantage for anyone moving from a high-tax state. The flip side is Tennessee's sales tax structure, which is among the steepest in the country and bites hardest on everyday purchases. Most errands in Livingston mean a drive, so transportation is a real and recurring cost — though gas prices and vehicle costs in this region run below the national average.
Whether you're weighing a purchase or figuring out what renting here costs relative to where you are now, the sections below break down Livingston's housing market, everyday expenses, how it stacks up against nearby cities, and the full tax picture.
What It Really Costs to Live in Livingston
The overall cost picture in Livingston is genuinely affordable by almost any measure. Housing pulls the biggest lever — prices here are well below what buyers are paying in Cookeville, and noticeably below state and national medians. But the affordability story extends beyond housing: groceries, utilities, and transportation all come in below U.S. averages, and the tax structure adds a further structural advantage for owners and income earners alike.
The typical home price in Livingston stood at $241,333 (Zillow Home Value Index, August 2026) — a figure that makes Livingston one of the more accessible ownership markets in Middle Tennessee. The complication is that the local median household income of $35,997 falls meaningfully short of what it takes to carry that price at current rates, so the affordability story is stronger for buyers bringing outside income — remote workers, retirees, or households relocating from higher-wage markets — than for buyers relying on local wages alone.
For context on where Livingston sits relative to surrounding towns, the comparison table below covers Cookeville, Monterey, Celina, Byrdstown, and Algood. The honest summary: this market is among the most affordable entry points in the Upper Cumberland region, but the local income base means many buyers here are stretching.
Housing: Rent vs Buy in Livingston
Livingston's housing stock skews heavily toward single-family homes — roughly 56% of rental units here are single-family properties, with another third in small complexes under 50 units, according to RentCafe. About 42% of residents rent rather than own, a figure that reflects both the income constraints of local buyers and the genuine availability of rental options in a market this size.
The Buying Picture
The typical home price of $241,333 (August 2026) represents a real entry point into homeownership by Tennessee standards. Entry-level homes — older construction, smaller lots, more modest finishes — come in below that figure, though the gap between entry-level and median is narrower here than in larger markets. There is no neighborhood in Livingston priced like a suburb of Nashville; the entire city operates within a compressed price band. For neighborhood-level guidance on where different price points cluster, the best neighborhoods guide covers that in detail.
The effective property tax rate in Overton County is approximately 0.56% — roughly half the national median rate of 1.02%. That is a genuine structural advantage for buyers: on a $241,333 home, the annual tax obligation is meaningfully lower than what you'd pay at a typical national rate. The calculator below will show you how that rate works alongside current mortgage pricing for your specific down payment and loan scenario.
The Renting Picture
Livingston's rental market is thin in the sense that large apartment complexes are rare — most rentals are single-family homes or small-scale units, which means availability can be inconsistent and landlords don't always list on the major aggregators. If you're planning to rent while you search for a home, budget extra time for the search itself. The rental-versus-buying calculation here tends to favor buying for anyone with a stable income and a long-enough horizon, largely because the property tax rate and the entry price together keep ownership costs competitive with renting in comparable units.
Everyday Costs Beyond Housing in Livingston
| Category | Typical Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | $170–$240/mo | Electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash |
| Groceries | $480–$650/mo | Food at home, household of 2–3 |
| Transportation & Gas | $160–$260/mo | Fuel, and transit where it is a real option |
| Phone & Internet | $100–$170/mo | Mobile plan plus home broadband |
| Misc / Discretionary | $150–$300/mo | Dining out, entertainment, subscriptions |
Non-housing figures are estimates for a household of two to three, not a sourced index; housing is the city-wide typical rent. Refreshed with the rest of the city data.
Livingston sits in the Upper Cumberland plateau, which means real winters and hot, humid summers — both of which run up utility bills. Tennessee's average monthly utility costs run modestly below the national average, and Livingston tracks that pattern, though the heating and cooling seasons here are long enough that your bill will vary significantly between January and July.
Groceries in Livingston cost roughly 4% below the national average — a modest but real discount. Tennessee taxes groceries at a reduced 4% state rate rather than the full 7%, though local taxes bring the effective rate to roughly 5%–6% at the register. Transportation is the other major non-housing line item: most errands in Livingston mean a drive, and gas prices and transportation costs in this region run about 12% below the national average, which helps offset the reality that you will be covering most ground by car. The sample monthly budget below shows how these categories stack up for a typical Livingston household.
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Beyond the Monthly Mortgage Payment — What to Factor In
- The property tax rate above — The 0.56% used in the estimate is the median effective rate — tax actually paid as a share of market value — published by Ownwell, 2026. Half of local homes pay more and half pay less: your own bill depends on that property's assessed value and any exemptions it qualifies for, which can differ a lot from its market price. Confirm with the Overton County assessor before you budget.
- Total cost of ownership — Your monthly mortgage payment is just the baseline. Depending on the specific city, county, and service district, homeownership costs also include local utility fees, municipal surcharges, and special assessments (such as water, sewer, storm drainage, or local energy taxes) that vary by location.
- Independent due diligence — Because these recurring local costs and municipal fees change depending on the exact property address, buyers must research them independently during their transaction process.
Tax laws, local municipal fees, and utility costs change frequently and individual situations vary. This page is general information, not tax or legal advice — always consult a qualified tax professional, CPA, or local municipal offices for personalized guidance.
Livingston vs Nearby Cities: Cost Comparison
| City | Typical Home Price | Typical Rent | Cost vs Livingston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston (this city) | $241,333 | — | — |
| Cookeville | $321,869 | $1,463/mo | 33% higher |
| Monterey | $220,000 | $1,100/mo | 9% lower |
| Celina | $200,000 | $1,000/mo | 17% lower |
Source — home prices: Zillow ZHVI, August 2026. Nearby-city figures are the same series, refreshed together.
Cookeville runs noticeably higher than Livingston across both home prices and rent; Monterey comes in somewhat lower; Celina and Byrdstown are noticeably lower still — the table below shows the full picture with current figures for each city.
Taxes & the Bottom Line for Livingston
Income Tax: A Real Advantage
Tennessee levies no personal state income tax on wages, salaries, or retirement distributions — including Social Security benefits, pensions, and investment income. For a remote worker earning a salary, that's money that stays in your pocket. For a retiree drawing down a 401(k) or a pension, it's a structural advantage that compounds over years. This is one of the primary reasons the state has been drawing in-migrants from Illinois, California, and other high-income-tax states, and Livingston benefits from that trend even at its modest scale.
Sales Tax: The Trade-Off
Tennessee offsets that income-tax advantage with one of the highest combined sales tax rates in the country. The statewide base rate is 7%, and Overton County's local addition brings the combined rate to 9.5% on most purchases. That is the catch. Groceries get a break — taxed at the reduced 4% state rate rather than the full 7%, with local taxes bringing the effective grocery rate to roughly 5%–6% — but on everything else, from clothing to furniture to a used car, the sales tax is a real and ongoing cost. Efforts to eliminate the grocery tax stalled in 2026, so the reduced rate remains in effect for now.
Property Tax: Genuinely Low
The effective property tax rate of approximately 0.56% is one of the most compelling numbers in the Livingston cost picture. It sits well below the national median, and for a buyer coming from a high-property-tax state — Illinois, New Jersey, Texas — the difference can feel dramatic. This is one area where the numbers favor Livingston buyers clearly, and it helps make the home price referenced earlier more manageable month to month than it might appear in a higher-tax jurisdiction.
Who Livingston's Budget Fits
Livingston fits best for buyers or renters who are bringing income from outside the local economy — remote workers, retirees, or households relocating from more expensive markets and pocketing the difference. The city's costs run below the national average across nearly every category, the tax structure rewards income earners and asset holders, and the property tax rate keeps ongoing ownership costs low.
What Livingston tends not to fit is buyers relying primarily on local wages. The gap between median household income and what it takes to purchase at the current typical price is real, and it's wider than in a lot of comparably priced Tennessee markets. If that describes your situation, renting for a period while building savings is the more realistic path — and for a deeper look at the buying process and financing options available in this market, the first-time homebuyer guide covers what that looks like in practice.
Local Expert Takeaway: Livingston's cost of living is the real thing — not just cheap by rural-Tennessee standards, but meaningfully below the U.S. average across housing, utilities, groceries, and transportation. The effective property tax rate of 0.56% and zero state income tax make this one of the most ownership-friendly tax environments in the region. The honest friction is the gap between local wages and home prices, plus a combined sales tax rate of 9.5% that is a daily cost no index headline captures. Buyers arriving with remote income or retirement savings are the ones who find the math works cleanly here.
Quick Takeaways & FAQs
✅ Livingston's housing costs are well below state and national medians, with a typical home price of $241,333 (August 2026) making it one of the most accessible ownership markets in the Upper Cumberland region.
⚠️ Tennessee's combined sales tax rate of 9.5% in Overton County — on most everyday purchases — is a real and ongoing daily cost that offsets the income-tax advantage.
📍 About 42% of Livingston residents rent, and most rentals are single-family homes or small complexes — large apartment buildings are rare, so allow extra time if you're searching for a rental before buying.
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