Rental prices across Tennessee have been on the uphill for most of the past decade, and the average price continues to approach $2,000 per month.
The data from the Zillow Observed Rent Index for June 2026 shows most Tennessee cities saw a significant increase since the start of 2026, with the largest increase coming from Gallatin.
Bartlett, a suburb of Memphis, and Mount Juliet, a suburb of Nashville, were the only two cities where the rent went down between January and June 2026. All other measured cities had an increase. There were 18 total cities across the Volunteer State that were measured in the study for June 2026.
The Zillow data uses a weighted formula to reflect the broader rental market, rather than just what’s currently listed for rent on
its website, while also incorporating a three-month moving average to reflect trends over time. The data includes all types of rental leases, from seasonal ones to standard 12-month agreements.
Here's how rental prices have fluctuated across Tennessee.
Rental prices in West Tennessee
Bartlett was the most expensive of the measured cities in West Tennessee to rent a home, single-family residence, Condo or Multi-Family Residence. It also has the largest increase from June 2020 to June 2026, and year-over-year from June 2025.
Rental prices in Middle Tennessee
Increases in the past few years have varied across Middle Tennessee. For the region, La Vergne has the highest average rent for June 2026 and the highest increase from June 2020 to June 2026. For the year-over-year measurement, Mount Juliet increased the most, and Gallatin had the highest increase since the beginning of the year.
Rental prices in East Tennessee
Rental prices in East Tennessee were highest in Maryville. It also had the highest increase since the beginning of the year. Johnson City had the highest increase for both the June 2020 to June 2026 measurement and the June 2025 to June 2026 measurement.
What is the average rent in Tennessee, nationwide?
In Tennessee, the average rent in June 2026 was $1,756.78. This is up 1.1% from the previous year.
Zillow data shows the average rental nationwide at $1,965 for June 2026 — up 2.2% compared to a year ago. The nationwide average was up about 0.4% compared to a month ago.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee rent prices are rising. See where rents have increased the most in 2026
