City comparison
Franklin, TN is about 150 miles (250 km) from Knoxville, TN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 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 Franklin, TN to Knoxville, TN takes about 19 min, covering roughly 150 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 83,630 in Franklin — about 2.3× larger by population. By land area, Knoxville covers about 99 sq mi vs 45 sq mi for Franklin.
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 | Franklin | Knoxville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,785/mo | $1,043/mo | 71.1% higher in Franklin |
| Median home value | $574,000 | $184,200 | 211.6% higher in Franklin |
| Median household income | $106,592 | $48,309 | 120.6% higher in Franklin |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 74.0 | 73.9 | ≈ equal (Franklin 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 Franklin, you'd need $89,238 in Knoxville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Knoxville, TN is about 10.8% cheaper overall than Franklin, TN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 30% higher in Franklin than in Knoxville. If you earn $80,000 in Franklin, you'd need about $71,390 in Knoxville to keep the same standard of living.