$450,000 buys the median home in Nashville right now. With 20% down, that's a $90,000 down payment and a $360,000 loan, set against a $72,000 median household income.
Nashville's 0.73% property tax rate runs below the 1.1% national average. That's $274/month on the median home here, not a rounding error against the mortgage payment.
Tennessee charges no state income tax. Every dollar of the $72,000 median household income here converts more directly into covering the $2,795/month payment.
Nashville's cost of living index is 105, above the 100 national baseline. That's on top of the housing numbers above, not instead of them.
Nashville's median home price runs 125% higher than nearby Memphis: $200,000 there versus $450,000 here.