Overall
92.6
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Knoxville, TN
Cost-of-living indicators for Knoxville, TN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.6
- Overall RPP
- #228
- of 387 metros
- 82.8
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
Knoxville ranks #228 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Fort Wayne
The verdict
Knoxville costs less than 59% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.6, 7.4% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 71.9.
- bottom 41%
- 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 $108,028 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,569.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$92,569
in Knoxville, TN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,285
$75,000 nationally
$69,427
$125,000 nationally
$115,711
$150,000 nationally
$138,854
$200,000 nationally
$185,138
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
44/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
44th 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.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 4.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Knoxville overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.0 |
| 2009 | 91.4 |
| 2010 | 93.2 |
| 2011 | 93.9 |
| 2012 | 94.7 |
| 2013 | 93.4 |
| 2014 | 92.9 |
| 2015 | 92.8 |
| 2016 | 93.7 |
| 2017 | 93.2 |
| 2018 | 88.9 |
| 2019 | 90.8 |
| 2020 | 89.3 |
| 2021 | 89.9 |
| 2022 | 91.2 |
| 2023 | 92.2 |
| 2024 | 92.6 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Knoxville's overall RPP rose +0.3 points, from 92.2 in 2023 to 92.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 76.6 to 71.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Service-cost relief profile
How Knoxville's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Knoxville: their index is 71.9, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 92.6 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Idaho Falls, ID, Bismarck, ND, Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA. They resemble Knoxville 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, Knoxville's overall index has stayed within 0.6 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.
Knoxville vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 41% higher than 41% 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
Knoxville cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
82.8 RPP
- Services
Services
71.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Knoxville's strongest departure is services at 71.9; rents follows at 82.8. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Knoxville's cost comes from
Metros near Knoxville's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Knoxville (Knoxville, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 82.8
- Fort Wayne: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 72.3
- Waco: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 83.5
- Kansas City: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 86.6
- New Orleans: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 86
- Muskegon: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 74.2
- Wausau: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 71.5
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
71.9
Cheap
Rents
82.8
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Knoxville, TN's index of 92.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Knoxville'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.
Idaho Falls, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 69.7 · Rents 84.0 Bismarck, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 75.0 · Rents 84.0 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.7 · Rents 85.4 Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.1 · Rents 79.8 New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.2 · Rents 86.0 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.0 · Rents 78.6
TN-relative analysis
Services prices places Knoxville, TN near the bottom of TN's metros
Among the 10 TN metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Knoxville, TN ranks #10 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Knoxville, TN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
30th percentile in TN
Services prices
#10 of 10
0th percentile in TN
Rent prices
#2 of 10
80th 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 Knoxville, 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 (92.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (82.8 here).
Other TN Metros
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 96.3 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 92.2 Chattanooga, TN-GA 91.5 Clarksville, TN-KY 90.9 Cleveland, TN 88.1 Johnson City, TN 87.9
View all TN metros → Cheapest in TN → Most expensive in TN →
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.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Knoxville
How to read Knoxville'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 $108,028 in Knoxville. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 71.9, 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 Knoxville 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 Knoxville, TN?
Knoxville, TN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.6, meaning it is 7.4% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 71.9, and rents at 82.8. It ranks #228 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Knoxville, TN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,569 in Knoxville, TN. Conversely, $100K earned in Knoxville, TN has the purchasing power of $108,028 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Knoxville, TN?
Rents in Knoxville, TN are indexed at 82.8, which is 17.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Knoxville, TN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Knoxville, TN's overall cost index changed by +0.6 points (from 92.0 to 92.6). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Knoxville, TN?
The priciest category in Knoxville, TN is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 71.9, 28.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Knoxville, TN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Fort Wayne, Waco, Kansas City. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Knoxville, TN's 92.6.
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.