Home › Nashville › On a budget
Nashville on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
A budget trip to Nashville is possible, mainly because so much of the music is free. A realistic minimum is about US$185 a day per person sharing a room — US$90 for a bed, US$50 for food, US$30 for sights and US$15 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | US$90 | US$170 | US$320 |
| Food & drink | US$50 | US$90 | US$170 |
| Sights & tickets | US$30 | US$70 | US$130 |
| Local transport | US$15 | US$30 | US$60 |
| Per person, per day | US$185 | US$360 | US$680 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Nashville day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Live music in the honky-tonks of Lower Broadway (tip the band)
- The Tennessee State Museum
- The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park
- The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, with views of the skyline
- Centennial Park and the outside of the Parthenon
- Walking Music Row along 16th and 17th Avenue South
Cheap eats
- Hot chicken with bread and pickles — about US$15–20
- Meat-and-three lunch (one meat, three sides) — about US$12–18
- Biscuits from a biscuit café — about US$8–12
- Barbecue sandwich — about US$10–15
- Food trucks around downtown and East Nashville — about US$10–15
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in chain hotels near the airport or in Music Valley close to the Opry, typically US$120–180 a night, and take Uber downtown. There are a few hostels in the centre and Midtown, with dorm beds often around US$40–80, more at weekends.
Getting around cheaply
Downtown is walkable. WeGo city buses cost about US$2, and bus 18 runs to the airport. Uber or Lyft from the airport costs about US$25–35. Skip a car unless you plan day trips; parking downtown is expensive.
A sample budget day
- Morning: free Tennessee State Museum and the Capitol Mall
- Lunch: meat-and-three (about US$15)
- Afternoon: Country Music Hall of Fame (about US$30–35)
- Evening: hot chicken (about US$17), free honky-tonk music with one drink and tips (about US$15), Uber home (about US$15)
- Total: about US$185 including a budget hotel room shared or hostel bed (about US$90)
More ways to save
- Pick one paid museum and one show rather than all of them.
- Look for free songwriter nights and open-mic sessions around the city.
- Travel in winter or midweek for the lowest prices.
- Share rides with friends; Uber splits make longer trips cheap.
- Drink at happy hours outside Broadway, where beer is cheaper.
- Budget for tips — around 18–20% in restaurants and a few dollars for each band.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Common questions
How much money do I need per day in Nashville?
About US$185 per person on a budget, US$360 mid-range and US$680 for comfort, sharing a room.
How do I get from Nashville airport to downtown cheaply?
Take WeGo bus 18 for about US$2. Uber costs about US$25–35.
What is free to do in Nashville?
Live music on Broadway, the Tennessee State Museum, the Capitol Mall and the pedestrian bridge are all free.