Overall
- Paducah
- 86.1
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 86.4
Diff +0.4 RPP
Paducah vs Kingsport-Bristol
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kingsport-Bristol is 0.4% more expensive than Paducah.
0.4% more expensive
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA is 0.4% more expensive than Paducah, KY-IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 86.4 vs 86.1). A $100,000 salary in Paducah buys about the same as $100,422 in Kingsport-Bristol; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 86.1 (Paducah) vs 86.4 (Kingsport-Bristol)
- $100k in Paducah ≈ $100,422 purchasing power in Kingsport-Bristol
- Rents drives the gap (+7.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair KY:TN 86.1→86.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE KY × TN
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Paducah
86.1
Cost Index
Kingsport-Bristol
86.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Paducah, KY-IL and Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kingsport-Bristol is 7.7 points higher. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Paducah corresponds to $100,422 in Kingsport-Bristol.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Paducah
- 96.0
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 96.2
Diff +0.2 RPP
Services
- Paducah
- 76.9
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 75.9
Diff -1.0 RPP
Rents
- Paducah
- 48.8
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 56.5
Diff +7.7 RPP
| Category | Paducah | Kingsport-Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.1 | 86.4 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 96.0 | 96.2 | +0.2 |
| Services | 76.9 | 75.9 | -1.0 |
| Rents | 48.8 | 56.5 | +7.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Paducah 86.1
Kingsport-Bristol 86.4
Goods
Paducah 96.0
Kingsport-Bristol 96.2
Services
Paducah 76.9
Kingsport-Bristol 75.9
Rents
Paducah 48.8
Kingsport-Bristol 56.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Paducah would need to be in Kingsport-Bristol for the same purchasing power:
| In Paducah | In Kingsport-Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,211 | +$211 |
| $75,000 | $75,316 | +$316 |
| $100,000 | $100,422 | +$422 |
| $150,000 | $150,633 | +$633 |
$ in Paducah = in Kingsport-Bristol
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.1 → 86.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kingsport-Bristol more expensive than Paducah?
Kingsport-Bristol is 0.4% more expensive than Paducah. The overall cost index is 86.4 vs 86.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kingsport-Bristol equals $100K in Paducah?
A $100,000 salary in Paducah has the same purchasing power as $100,422 in Kingsport-Bristol. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Paducah and Kingsport-Bristol?
Rents in Paducah are indexed at 48.8 while Kingsport-Bristol is at 56.5 (national average = 100). Kingsport-Bristol has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.