Photo: AppalachianCentrist · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Dandridge costs less to live in than 58% of U.S. towns
It ranks #76 of 177 in Tennessee for affordability. Up 0.6% in a year, 15% above the Tennessee typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Morristown, TN metro area ($61K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Morristown metro earn ($61K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.3 years of metro income, and 51% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $381Ktypical home, 15% above the Tennessee typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,170a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 86prices across the Morristown metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 59)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$61K, Morristown-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 51%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Tennessee: 49%Census 2020–24
- 10%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Dandridge’s housing numbers say
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Dandridge gained 532 residents while 92 new homes were permitted: about 5.8 new residents per new home, against 2 across Tennessee. New homes ↓
Building at more than twice the Tennessee pace
Builders were permitted 63 new homes in 2025: 18 per 1,000 residents, against 7.8 across Tennessee. That’s 363 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Dandridge’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Dandridge is more affordable than 58% of U.S. towns, #76 of 177 in Tennessee. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Tennessee: the typical Dandridge home is up 29.7% in five years, against 23.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29.7% in five years
Faster than Tennessee (23.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Dandridge | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $183,000 | $172,000 |
| 2018 | $190,000 | $185,000 |
| 2019 | $204,000 | $197,000 |
| 2020 | $230,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $255,000 | $236,000 |
| 2022 | $315,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $336,000 | $311,000 |
| 2024 | $364,000 | $323,000 |
| 2025 | $380,000 | $331,000 |
| 2026 | $382,000 | $331,000 |
| September 2026 | $381,000 | $331,000 |
A typical Dandridge home worth $179K in October 2016 is worth about $381K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 8 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 4.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Dandridge’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $132K short of a typical Dandridge home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170 a month here, $1,010 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Dandridge’s typical property tax (0.57% 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 $1,170
Renters already here pay a median of $799, 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 (Morristown, 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.
63 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 63 new homes in Dandridge in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $16.9 million to build. That's 18 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Tennessee (7.8). Over the past 10 years, Dandridge has permitted 363 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Dandridge gained 532 residents while 92 new homes were permitted: about 5.8 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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) | 40 | 19 | 21 | $14.6 million |
| 2025 | 63 | 63 | 0 | $16.9 million |
| 2024 | 31 | 25 | 6 | $10.4 million |
| 2023 | 104 | 51 | 53 | $24.6 million |
| 2022 | 69 | 9 | 60 | $14.5 million |
| 2021 | 27 | 15 | 12 | $9 million |
| 2020 | 36 | 32 | 4 | $10.9 million |
| 2019 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $919,000 |
| 2016 | 13 | 11 | 2 | $4.4 million |
| 2015 | 13 | 11 | 2 | $2.2 million |
| 2014 | 18 | 8 | 10 | $3.4 million |
| 2013 | 10 | 4 | 6 | $2.1 million |
| 2012 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $1.4 million |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $637,000 |
| 2010 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $647,000 |
| 2008 | 18 | 4 | 14 | $2 million |
| 2007 | 67 | 67 | 0 | $10.7 million |
| 2006 | 58 | 58 | 0 | $7 million |
| 2005 | 51 | 51 | 0 | $7 million |
| 2004 | 48 | 48 | 0 | $5.6 million |
| 2003 | 27 | 21 | 6 | $2.2 million |
| 2002 | 10 | 7 | 3 | $645,000 |
| 2001 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $733,000 |
| 2000 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $2.1 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Tennessee norm
The median bill is $1,479 (Tennessee: $1,442), 0.57% 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 Dandridge
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Morristown, 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 | 86 | 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.
Dandridge vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Dandridge has the 2nd-lowest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dandridge | B | $381K | $259K | 0.57% | $1,170 |
| Jefferson City | B− | $308K | $213K | 0.49% | $1,120 |
Questions about the cost of living in Dandridge
Is Dandridge expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Dandridge costs less than 58% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #76 of 177 in Tennessee. The typical home costs 4.3 years of the median household income of the Morristown, TN metro area ($61K).
How much does a house cost in Dandridge?
About $381K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.6% in a year. The Tennessee typical home is $331K.
What salary do you need to live in Dandridge?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $93,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,180 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $47,000.
How much is rent in Dandridge?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,170 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $799 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Dandridge?
The median bill is $1,479 a year, 0.57% of the median home value (Tennessee: $1,442, 0.50%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Dandridge going up?
Barely: up 0.6% in the past year and 29.7% in five years, against 23.3% across Tennessee (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Dandridge 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.