City comparison
Cleveland, TN is about 80 miles (125 km) from Knoxville, TN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 90 miles, or about 1 h 30 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 Cleveland, TN to Knoxville, TN takes about 9 min, covering roughly 80 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 47,725 in Cleveland — about 4.0× larger by population. By land area, Knoxville covers about 99 sq mi vs 31 sq mi for Cleveland.
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 | Cleveland | Knoxville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $922/mo | $1,043/mo | 13.1% higher in Knoxville |
| Median home value | $225,700 | $184,200 | 22.5% higher in Cleveland |
| Median household income | $52,468 | $48,309 | 8.6% higher in Cleveland |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 74.3 | 73.9 | ≈ equal (Cleveland slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 95.6 | 95.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 95.1 | 95.1 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Cleveland, you'd need $111,306 in Knoxville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cleveland, TN is about 10.2% cheaper overall than Knoxville, TN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% higher in Knoxville than in Cleveland. If you earn $80,000 in Cleveland, you'd need about $89,045 in Knoxville to keep the same standard of living.