Overall
86.4
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
Cost-of-living indicators for Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.4
- Overall RPP
- #360
- of 387 metros
- 56.5
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Kingsport ranks #360 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 3.1 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Sioux City
The verdict
Kingsport costs less than 93% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.4, 13.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 56.5.
- bottom 7%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 75.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $115,678 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,447.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 3.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 3.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Kingsport overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.6 |
| 2009 | 88.4 |
| 2010 | 88.0 |
| 2011 | 89.8 |
| 2012 | 89.9 |
| 2013 | 88.5 |
| 2014 | 88.4 |
| 2015 | 89.2 |
| 2016 | 88.9 |
| 2017 | 88.8 |
| 2018 | 85.1 |
| 2019 | 86.6 |
| 2020 | 83.4 |
| 2021 | 85.5 |
| 2022 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 85.0 |
| 2024 | 86.4 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Kingsport's overall RPP rose +1.5 points, from 85.0 in 2023 to 86.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 51.1 to 56.5. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$86,447
in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,224
$75,000 nationally
$64,835
$125,000 nationally
$108,059
$150,000 nationally
$129,671
$200,000 nationally
$172,894
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
90/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
90th 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.
Kingsport vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 7% higher than 7% 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
Kingsport cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
56.5 RPP
- Services
Services
75.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Kingsport's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 56.5 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 75.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Kingsport's cost comes from
Metros near Kingsport's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Kingsport (Kingsport, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.5
- Sioux City: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 57.8
- St. Joseph: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 55.4
- Morristown: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 59
- Grand Island: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 61.7
- Grand Forks: goods RPP 95.6, rents RPP 59.7
- Florence: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 52.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
75.9
Cheap
Rents
56.5
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Kingsport's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Kingsport: rents index at 56.5, 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 86.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Owensboro, KY, Farmington, NM, Hot Springs, AR. They resemble Kingsport 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, Kingsport's overall index has fallen by 3.1 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.
TN-relative analysis
Rent prices places Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA near the bottom of TN's metros
Among the 10 TN metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA ranks #10 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#8 of 10
20th percentile in TN
Services prices
#1 of 10
90th percentile in TN
Rent prices
#10 of 10
0th 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA: 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 (86.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (56.5 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 →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA's index of 86.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Kingsport'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.
Owensboro, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.2 · Rents 55.7 Farmington, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 77.9 · Rents 56.6 Hot Springs, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 74.3 · Rents 57.3 Jackson, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.6 · Rents 56.6 Grand Forks, ND-MN
Goods 95.6 · Services 77.1 · Rents 59.7 Hattiesburg, MS
Goods 96.2 · Services 76.9 · Rents 60.1
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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.
What this means for Kingsport
How to read Kingsport'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 $115,678 in Kingsport. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 56.5, 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 Kingsport 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.4, meaning it is 13.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 75.9, and rents at 56.5. It ranks #360 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,447 in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA. Conversely, $100K earned in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA has the purchasing power of $115,678 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?
Rents in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA are indexed at 56.5, which is 43.5% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA's overall cost index changed by -3.1 points (from 89.6 to 86.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?
The priciest category in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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 56.5, 43.5% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Sioux City, St. Joseph, Morristown. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA's 86.4.
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.