City comparison
Knoxville, TN is about 150 miles (225 km) from Lexington-Fayette, KY in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 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 Knoxville, TN to Lexington-Fayette, KY takes about 18 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.
Lexington-Fayette has a population of 321,276, vs 191,857 in Knoxville — about 1.7× larger by population. By land area, Lexington-Fayette covers about 285 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 | Knoxville | Lexington-Fayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,043/mo | $1,065/mo | 2.1% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
| Median home value | $184,200 | $247,900 | 34.6% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
| Median household income | $48,309 | $66,087 | 36.8% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 95.9 | 0.5% higher in Knoxville |
| Utilities index | 73.9 | 79.8 | 8.0% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
| Transportation index | 95.6 | 97.7 | 2.1% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
| Healthcare index | 95.1 | 97.2 | 2.1% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Knoxville, you'd need $99,898 in Lexington-Fayette to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Knoxville and Lexington-Fayette have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Knoxville than in Lexington-Fayette. If you earn $80,000 in Knoxville, you'd need about $79,918 in Lexington-Fayette to keep the same standard of living.