City comparison
Chattanooga, TN is about 100 miles (150 km) from Knoxville, TN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h 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 Knoxville, TN takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Knoxville has a population of 191,857, vs 181,288 in Chattanooga — about the same size. By land area, Chattanooga covers about 140 sq mi vs 99 sq mi for Knoxville.
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 | Knoxville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,066/mo | $1,043/mo | 2.2% higher in Chattanooga |
| Median home value | $230,500 | $184,200 | 25.1% higher in Chattanooga |
| Median household income | $57,703 | $48,309 | 19.4% higher in Chattanooga |
| Groceries index | 96.2 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Knoxville slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 76.1 | 73.9 | 2.9% higher in Chattanooga |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 95.6 | ≈ equal (Chattanooga slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 95.1 | ≈ equal (Chattanooga 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 $102,472 in Knoxville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chattanooga, TN is about 2.4% cheaper overall than Knoxville, TN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 7% higher in Knoxville than in Chattanooga. If you earn $80,000 in Chattanooga, you'd need about $81,977 in Knoxville to keep the same standard of living.