NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – With the growth of Nashville, it’s getting harder to find parking, let alone parking at an affordable price.

It was the weekday lunch hour and Blake Walker was minutes away from his tattoo appointment downtown.

“It’s pretty tough to find parking down here, especially peak times,” said Walker. “Unfortunately, I got to pay for it.”

The price was $20 for two hours at a private lot on Broadway and Third Avenue.

“It ranges from $15, $20. I’ve seen $30, $40,” said Walker. “Yeah, it’s up there!”

Tammy Nicholls said she feels the price pinch every time she drives from Franklin to Nashville.

“They are going up for sure,” said Nicholls.

How do Nashville prices stack up with other cities of comparable size?

Let’s start with on-street parking.

Hourly metered parking will cost you $1.50 an hour – in coins.

Turns out, Nashville’s metered parking isn’t so friendly compared to Austin, Texas, and Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Austin – $1.20/hour

Charlotte – $1.00/hour

Raleigh – $1.25 to $1.00/hour

Next, comes daily prices.

In Raleigh, that starts at $14, compared to $10 to $25 in Charlotte, $10 to $30 in Austin, and only $5 in Nashville at the Courthouse Garage on James Robertson Parkway.

Andrea Champion is the Communications Director for Nashville Downtown Partnership.

“This garage is the cheapest in town,” said Champion. “The second cheapest is the library garage and it’s $10 after five o’clock at night and then also $10 on the weekends.”

Champion said the Partnership helps to manage the two garages, which are owned by the city.

“Our strategy is help the city price these two garages strategically in terms of keeping the prices low so that people who come downtown still have an affordable option,” explained Champion.

Comparing weekend rates, it’s almost a tie.

Charlotte wins outright with free Saturday and Sunday on-street parking, while Nashville comes in a close second with free metered parking after 6 p.m. on Saturday and all day Sunday.

Finally, there are monthly rates.

In Raleigh, the best deal is $60 to $80 for off-street surface lots.

In Austin, parking costs an average of $285 a month in private garages.

Nashville is in the middle, at $160 at both the courthouse and library lots.

Perhaps the best deal is parking at Lot A of Nissan Stadium. A monthly pass would cost you only $45, which breaks down to $1.50 a day with a free shuttle into the heart of downtown.

Champion said the Downtown Partnership is working to encourage employers to use alternative work schedules to help the flow of traffic and limited parking spots.

Click here for the Downtown Partnership’s parking deals.