City comparison
Chattanooga, TN is about 175 miles (300 km) from Kingsport, TN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Chattanooga, TN to Kingsport, TN takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Chattanooga has a population of 181,288, vs 55,415 in Kingsport — about 3.3× larger by population. By land area, Chattanooga covers about 140 sq mi vs 53 sq mi for Kingsport.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Chattanooga | Kingsport | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,066/mo | $772/mo | 38.1% higher in Chattanooga |
| Median home value | $230,500 | $181,600 | 26.9% higher in Chattanooga |
| Median household income | $57,703 | $48,228 | 19.6% higher in Chattanooga |
| Groceries index | 96.2 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Kingsport slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 76.1 | 77.6 | 2.0% higher in Kingsport |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.2 | ≈ equal (Kingsport slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 95.7 | ≈ equal (Kingsport slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chattanooga, you'd need $90,392 in Kingsport to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Kingsport, TN is about 9.6% cheaper overall than Chattanooga, TN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 36% higher in Chattanooga than in Kingsport. If you earn $80,000 in Chattanooga, you'd need about $72,314 in Kingsport to keep the same standard of living.