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Quality of Life in Brentwood, TN
Above-average quality of iife. The area offers a reasonable cost of living, decent mobility, and a mix of neighborhood amenities.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.
Cost of Living
160% above national average
The Real Cost of Living in Brentwood, TN for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $40k | $75k |
| Comfortable | $180k | $265k |
| Luxury | $334k+ | $517k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $427k+ | $662k+ |
70%
The Area Signal
A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.
Hobbies
Explore the areaGroceries
6 within 10 miles
Gas
20 within 10 miles
Hospital
20 within 20 miles
Airport
BNA — Nashville International
Post Office
USPS — Brentwood, TN
Critical Amenities
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Brentwood, Tennessee, is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the southeastern United States, with a cost of living index of 260—more than two and a half times the national average. The city of roughly 45,000 residents is dominated by upper-income professionals, executives, and former professional athletes, drawn by its top-ranked schools, large estate lots, and proximity to Nashville’s corporate headquarters. This is a community where the median household income exceeds $150,000, and daily life revolves around country clubs, private schools, and a carefully manicured suburban aesthetic.
How Brentwood housing costs compare to Nashville and Franklin
The financial barrier to entry in Brentwood is steep. The median home value sits at $926,700, roughly triple the national median and about 40% higher than neighboring Franklin’s median of roughly $660,000. Nashville proper, by contrast, hovers near $450,000, making Brentwood a clear premium tier within the region. For renters, the median monthly rent is $2,497, which is affordable only for dual-income professional households; a single earner would need an annual salary near $100,000 to keep housing costs at the recommended 30% of income. Property taxes in Williamson County are relatively moderate for the price point—around 0.58% of assessed value—but the purchase price itself is the primary filter. Compared to comparable affluent enclaves like McLean, Virginia, or Greenwich, Connecticut, Brentwood offers more land per dollar, but it is not a value play relative to the broader Nashville metro.
Schools, amenities, and the daily rhythm of life in Brentwood
Brentwood’s public schools are the single biggest driver of its premium pricing. The Williamson County School District consistently ranks among the top 1% of districts nationally, and Brentwood High School and Ravenwood High School both post average ACT scores above 27 with graduation rates near 98%. Daily life is car-dependent and amenity-rich: residents commute an average of 25.8 minutes to jobs in downtown Nashville or the Cool Springs office corridor, which hosts headquarters for Tractor Supply, Community Health Systems, and Nissan North America. The city’s retail spine, along Franklin Road and Maryland Way, is anchored by upscale grocers like Whole Foods and Fresh Market, while the Hill Center Brentwood provides boutique shopping and dining. For recreation, the 4,000-acre Radnor Lake State Park sits just north of the city limits, and the Brentwood YMCA and multiple private golf clubs—including the Brentwood Country Club and Vanderbilt Legends Club—structure much of the social calendar. The rhythm is decidedly family-oriented: school drop-offs, youth soccer at Crockett Park, and weekend dinners at local favorites like Mere Bulles or Cork & Cow.
This is not a community for first-time buyers, single renters on modest incomes, or those seeking urban walkability. Brentwood thrives for established professionals, executives, and families who prioritize school quality, safety, and space over cultural diversity or nightlife. Those who can absorb the $926,700 median home price will find a low-crime, high-amenity environment with excellent resale value; those who cannot should look to Franklin’s more affordable outskirts, Nolensville, or Spring Hill for a similar lifestyle at a lower entry point.
Crime in Brentwood, TN
Lower crime rates than 92% of comparable U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Brentwood, Tennessee, is one of the safest cities of its size in the United States, with violent crime rates that are a fraction of both the state and national averages. According to the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data, the city recorded a violent crime rate of just 61.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, while property crime stood at 632.3 per 100,000. For context, the national violent crime rate is roughly 380 per 100,000, meaning a resident of Brentwood is over six times less likely to be a victim of a violent crime than the average American.
Crime in context
Brentwood’s safety record is not merely an outlier; it is a consistent trend driven by a combination of high household incomes, a highly educated population, and a well-funded municipal police department. The city’s violent crime rate of 61.5 per 100K is dramatically lower than Tennessee’s statewide average of approximately 670 per 100K, and it also outperforms neighboring Williamson County as a whole. Property crime in Brentwood, at 632.3 per 100K, is also below the national average of roughly 1,950 per 100K, though it is the more common of the two categories and typically involves thefts from unlocked vehicles or package thefts rather than burglaries of occupied homes.
What residents experience
For those living in Brentwood, the practical experience of safety is tangible: the city has recorded zero homicides in most recent years, and violent incidents such as aggravated assault or robbery are rare enough to be notable local news events. The Brentwood Police Department maintains a proactive community policing model, with a visible patrol presence along major corridors like Franklin Road and Concord Road. Residents frequently cite the ability to walk or bike in neighborhoods after dark without concern, and the city’s low crime rate is a primary driver of its consistently high property values. However, property crime remains the primary concern, with the Brentwood Police Department regularly advising residents to lock car doors and remove valuables, as most thefts are crimes of opportunity rather than planned break-ins.
Neighborhood-level variation in Brentwood is minimal but worth noting. The city is almost uniformly affluent, and crime does not cluster in any single district the way it does in larger metropolitan areas. The few reported incidents tend to occur near commercial zones, particularly the Hill Center and Cool Springs Galleria areas, which attract visitors from surrounding communities. Gated communities and newer developments on the city’s eastern edge, such as those near the Brentwood Country Club, report even lower incident rates. While Brentwood’s justice system operates within the broader Williamson County framework—which is known for a conservative, prosecution-oriented approach to criminal justice—the city’s low crime rate means residents rarely interact with the courts at all. For families and professionals relocating to the Nashville metro, Brentwood offers a level of safety that is genuinely exceptional by national standards.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-10-12T01:16:51.000Z
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