Rank #15 of 33

Nashville, TN

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

9.6

Tacos per hour at the local median wage

$2.44 Avg taco price

$23.48 Median hourly wage (2024)

$3.00 Fast-casual taqueria

$1.89 Taco Bell crunchy taco

Nashville sits above the national average. An hour of local work buys 9.6 tacos here, compared with 9.3 tacos per hour across the 33-city index (+0.3 vs national average).

Local note

Nashville's taco scene grew alongside the metro's rapid Hispanic population growth, with most options clustered in Antioch, Murfreesboro Road, and Nolensville Pike. Standard taqueria pricing has held near $3, though tourism-corridor spots downtown run noticeably higher.

Where the numbers come from

Fast-casual: Mas Tacos Por Favor (McFerrin Ave), Taqueria Don Carbon Express, La Revolución Taco (food truck), Taqueria San Luis. Reports of $1.50/taco at cheap trucks; ~$2.20/ea at $40-for-18 spots; ~$3 at established taquerias. Chain: Taco Bell crunchy taco $1.89 (mid-low cost market).

Average taco price ($2.44) is $0.33 below the national average of $2.77.

How this is calculated. Tacos per hour = median hourly wage ÷ average taco price. Average taco price is the mean of the fast-casual taqueria anchor and the local Taco Bell crunchy taco price. Wages come from BLS OEWS, May 2024, MSA-level median for all occupations. Full methodology.