2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Chattanooga, TN vs Highlands, NC

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Highlands or is it cheaper to live in Chattanooga?
- Highlands is 0.6% more expensive than Chattanooga.

Which city has more affordable housing, Highlands or Chattanooga?
- Highlands housing costs are 174.5% more expensive than Chattanooga housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Chattanooga or is Health Care more affordable in Highlands.
- Health related expenses are 21.8% more in Highlands.
 Chattanooga, TNHighlands, NCUnited States
 Overall  Unlock90.2100
 Food & Groceries97.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock121.9100
 Housing75.0  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$794,000$338,100
 Utilities95  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock69.0100
 Miscellaneous102.8  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Chattanooga    60 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

Moved to Chattanooga from the San Francisco Bay area. It was a hard one but after losing much in the 2017, 2018, 2019 annual wildfire festival of California I got tired  More

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I feel like the crime in Chattanooga gets glossed over in most reviews. Lived here virtually my entire life and I will truly miss the golden sunrises against the  More

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I live in nearby Cleveland TN where I have lived for 20 years. I like to shop and visit Chattanooga as there is a lot to do but they do have a very high crime rate.   More

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Reviews for Highlands    4 Reviews

Love BestPlaces, but most of their statistics are incorrect for the actual town of Highlands which is extremely expensive. I assume they are using information from Macon  More

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Over 5 years ago

This used to be a quaint, quiet, sweet little town, but it has ballooned into a rich man's Mecca. Fist of all, it's a tiny town... so parking is at a premium and it gets  More

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Over 15 years ago

I have run two businesses in Highlands. It is a very seasonal business trend. The rents are high and so is the cost of doing business, including labor cost, cost of  More

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