Cost of living in Knoxville, TN
The Knoxville, TN metro area (957,376 people) ranks #120 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Knoxville with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Knoxville to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Nashville, TN, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Knoxville: $86,100
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $86,100 in Knoxville, TN to match $90,000 in Nashville, TN ($3,900 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Tennessee, which has no state income tax on wages; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Knoxville
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Knoxville
On a $75,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $61,593 after 2026 federal tax ($7,670), Social Security and Medicare ($5,738). Tennessee has no state income tax on wages.
Housing
| Measure | Knoxville area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,219/mo |
| Median home value | $351,400 |
| Median property tax | $1,300/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,086 |
| Median household income | $74,184 |
Climate and jobs in Knoxville
In the Knoxville area the average January low is 30°F and the average July high 88°F, and the area has about 37 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $47,080 a year, 8% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 30°F |
| July high | 88°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 37 a year |
| Precipitation | 52 in a year |
| Snowfall | 4.6 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.2% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $47,080 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 424,600 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport station (USW00013891). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Knoxville
A single retiree spends about $2,861 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,688 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Knoxville
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Knoxville area above average for natural hazard risk (score 78.2 of 100), with expected losses of about $301 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Tennessee.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Knoxville?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $68,500 in Knoxville. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $48,760, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $89,401.
Is Knoxville expensive?
The Knoxville metro area's price level is 92.6 (U.S. = 100), #120 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 82.8, 17% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Knoxville?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Knoxville had a net gain of about 1,559 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Knoxville?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Knoxville area (Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport weather station), the average January low is 30°F and the average July high 88°F. The area has about 37 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 52 inches of precipitation a year and about 4.6 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Knoxville?
The Knoxville metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $47,080 a year in May 2025, 8% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Knoxville?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area above average overall (score 78.2). The highest relative risks are landslide, earthquake, lightning.
Cities with similar prices
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Moving from Tennessee