Photo: MissDashwood · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Cross Plains costs less to live in than 82% of U.S. towns
Up 2.2% in a year, 24% above the Tennessee typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area ($85K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Nashville metro earn ($85K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.7 years of metro income, and 40% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $412Ktypical home, 24% above the Tennessee typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,330a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Nashville metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 105)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$85K, Nashville-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Cross Plains?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Cross Plains’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cross Plains is more affordable than 82% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Tennessee: up 25.9% in five years, against 23.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 25.9% in five years
About the same pace as Tennessee (23.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Cross Plains | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $211,000 | $172,000 |
| 2018 | $230,000 | $185,000 |
| 2019 | $241,000 | $197,000 |
| 2020 | $265,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $286,000 | $236,000 |
| 2022 | $353,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $380,000 | $311,000 |
| 2024 | $391,000 | $323,000 |
| 2025 | $409,000 | $331,000 |
| 2026 | $409,000 | $331,000 |
| September 2026 | $412,000 | $331,000 |
A typical Cross Plains home worth $208K in October 2016 is worth about $412K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Cross Plains’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $57K short of a typical Cross Plains home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,330 a month here, $970 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Cross Plains’s typical property tax (0.41% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,330
Renters already here pay a median of $1,153, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
2 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 2 new homes in Cross Plains in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Tennessee (7.8). Over the past 10 years, Cross Plains has permitted 103 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Cross Plains gained 75 residents while 58 new homes were permitted: about 1.3 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Tennessee: 2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 1 | 1 | 0 | $293,000 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $586,000 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $586,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $7 million |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2020 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2019 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2018 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2017 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2016 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2015 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $685,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $230,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $553,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $347,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $879,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $974,000 |
| 2006 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2005 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2004 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2003 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2002 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2001 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $233,000 |
Cross Plains's permit office reported 4 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Tennessee norm
The median bill is $1,308 (Tennessee: $1,442), 0.41% of a home’s value a year, against 0.50% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Cross Plains
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area, or Tennessee. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 96 | TN 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | TN 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 72 | TN 72 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 95 | TN 95 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Cross Plains and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Plains | A− | $412K | $320K | 0.41% | $1,330 |
Questions about the cost of living in Cross Plains
Is Cross Plains expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cross Plains costs less than 82% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.7 years of the median household income of the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area ($85K).
How much does a house cost in Cross Plains?
About $412K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.2% in a year. The Tennessee typical home is $331K.
What salary do you need to live in Cross Plains?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $99,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,300 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $53,000.
How much is rent in Cross Plains?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,330 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,153 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Cross Plains?
The median bill is $1,308 a year, 0.41% of the median home value (Tennessee: $1,442, 0.50%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Cross Plains going up?
Yes: up 2.2% in the past year and 25.9% in five years, against 23.3% across Tennessee (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Cross Plains buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.