City comparison
Kingsport, TN is about 90 miles (150 km) from Knoxville, TN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 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 Kingsport, TN to Knoxville, TN takes about 10 min, covering roughly 90 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 55,415 in Kingsport — about 3.5× larger by population. By land area, Knoxville covers about 99 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 | Kingsport | Knoxville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $772/mo | $1,043/mo | 35.1% higher in Knoxville |
| Median home value | $181,600 | $184,200 | 1.4% higher in Knoxville |
| Median household income | $48,228 | $48,309 | 0.2% higher in Knoxville |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Knoxville slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 77.6 | 73.9 | 5.0% higher in Kingsport |
| Transportation index | 96.2 | 95.6 | 0.6% higher in Kingsport |
| Healthcare index | 95.7 | 95.1 | 0.6% higher in Kingsport |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Kingsport, you'd need $113,363 in Knoxville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Kingsport, TN is about 11.8% cheaper overall than Knoxville, TN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 45% higher in Knoxville than in Kingsport. If you earn $80,000 in Kingsport, you'd need about $90,691 in Knoxville to keep the same standard of living.