Overall
87.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Johnson City, TN
Cost-of-living indicators for Johnson City, TN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 87.9
- Overall RPP
- #339
- of 387 metros
- 63.2
- Rents RPP
- $114K
- $100K national buys
Johnson City ranks #339 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 3.7 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Auburn-Opelika
The verdict
Johnson City costs less than 88% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 87.9, 12.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 63.2.
- bottom 12%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 71.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $113,729 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $87,928.
Johnson City vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 12% higher than 12% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Johnson City cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
63.2 RPP
- Services
Services
71.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
87.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Johnson City's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 63.2 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 71.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Johnson City's cost comes from
Metros near Johnson City's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Johnson City (Johnson City, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 63.2
- Auburn: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 62.1
- Jefferson City: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 62.1
- Rocky Mount: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 56.1
- Sumter: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 60.8
- Terre Haute: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 51.9
- Cleveland: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 60.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
71.9
Cheap
Rents
63.2
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Johnson City's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Johnson City: rents index at 63.2, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 87.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Minot, ND, Cleveland, TN, Bowling Green, KY. They resemble Johnson City across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Johnson City's overall index has fallen by 3.7 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$87,928
in Johnson City, TN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,964
$75,000 nationally
$65,946
$125,000 nationally
$109,910
$150,000 nationally
$131,892
$200,000 nationally
$175,856
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
80/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
80th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Johnson City's overall RPP fell -0.5 points, from 88.4 in 2023 to 87.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 76.7 to 71.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 3.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2013, when the index dropped 3.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Johnson City overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 91.6 |
| 2009 | 89.9 |
| 2010 | 90.7 |
| 2011 | 91.9 |
| 2012 | 93.5 |
| 2013 | 89.7 |
| 2014 | 91.5 |
| 2015 | 91.5 |
| 2016 | 91.6 |
| 2017 | 90.0 |
| 2018 | 86.4 |
| 2019 | 89.1 |
| 2020 | 88.5 |
| 2021 | 87.0 |
| 2022 | 87.4 |
| 2023 | 88.4 |
| 2024 | 87.9 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Johnson City's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Minot, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 72.9 · Rents 63.2 Cleveland, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.3 · Rents 60.3 Bowling Green, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.2 · Rents 63.4 Grand Island, NE
Goods 94.1 · Services 74.2 · Rents 61.7 Pocatello, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 69.8 · Rents 66.4 Morristown, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.4 · Rents 59.0
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Johnson City, TN's index of 87.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TN-relative analysis
Services prices places Johnson City, TN near the bottom of TN's metros
Among the 10 TN metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Johnson City, TN ranks #9 - the 10th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Johnson City, TN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
30th percentile in TN
Services prices
#9 of 10
10th percentile in TN
Rent prices
#6 of 10
40th percentile in TN
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within TN only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Johnson City, TN: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (87.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (63.2 here).
Other TN Metros
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 96.3 Knoxville, TN 92.6 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 92.2 Chattanooga, TN-GA 91.5 Clarksville, TN-KY 90.9 Cleveland, TN 88.1
View all TN metros → Cheapest in TN → Most expensive in TN →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Johnson City
How to read Johnson City's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $113,729 in Johnson City. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 63.2, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Johnson City head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Johnson City, TN?
Johnson City, TN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 87.9, meaning it is 12.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 71.9, and rents at 63.2. It ranks #339 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Johnson City, TN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $87,928 in Johnson City, TN. Conversely, $100K earned in Johnson City, TN has the purchasing power of $113,729 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Johnson City, TN?
Rents in Johnson City, TN are indexed at 63.2, which is 36.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Johnson City, TN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Johnson City, TN's overall cost index changed by -3.7 points (from 91.6 to 87.9). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Johnson City, TN?
The priciest category in Johnson City, TN is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 63.2, 36.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Johnson City, TN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Auburn-Opelika, Jefferson City, Rocky Mount. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Johnson City, TN's 87.9.
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.