City comparison
Knoxville, TN is about 175 miles (300 km) from Madison, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 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 Knoxville, TN to Madison, AL takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 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 56,967 in Madison — about 3.4× larger by population. By land area, Knoxville covers about 99 sq mi vs 31 sq mi for Madison.
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 | Madison | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,043/mo | $1,201/mo | 15.1% higher in Madison |
| Median home value | $184,200 | $327,100 | 77.6% higher in Madison |
| Median household income | $48,309 | $118,132 | 144.5% higher in Madison |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.6 | ≈ equal (Madison slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 73.9 | 84.9 | 14.9% higher in Madison |
| Transportation index | 95.6 | 97.0 | 1.5% higher in Madison |
| Healthcare index | 95.1 | 96.5 | 1.5% higher in Madison |
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 $100,091 in Madison to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Knoxville and Madison have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Knoxville than in Madison. If you earn $80,000 in Knoxville, you'd need about $80,072 in Madison to keep the same standard of living.