How Much Does It Cost to Live In Knoxville, TN?
Knoxville is a city located in Eastern Tennessee.
Its importance lies in the fact that it’s the third-largest city in the state and the home of the University of Tennessee’s primary campus.
Knoxville is the best of all worlds: it can’t compete with bigger, shinier towns, but it has an interesting, rich history and bright future.
Now, another point that will vary depending on where you’re coming from is that typically, Knoxville has a lower cost of living than other places in the United States.
It’s convenient for travel to many parts of the country and it’s affordable!
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
Downtown Knoxville offers lots of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options and it’s where you’ll try some of Knoxville’s finest dining.
Like all cities, you’ll find restaurants that are more upscale and areas that are more low-income.
You can expect to eat in an inexpensive restaurant for no less than 20$.
MARKETS
When it comes to groceries, you should definitely try cooking sometimes – preparing your meals by yourself will cost you much less than eating out.
Knoxville has all the regular stores and supermarkets most major cities have and the prices are pretty reasonable and affordable.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus service is infrequent and some places don’t have sidewalks so traveling by car is the way to go though it may be a problem at times to find parking downtown and around the University of Tennessee.
Knoxville is slowly building a greenway system for cyclists and pedestrians to move into downtown from nearby suburbs.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
As for the rest of the utilities, they are significantly lower than in most cities of Tennessee!
For example, for an apartment of 85m2, all basic utilities – including electricity, along with heating and cooling, water, gas, and garbage services – will cost you only around 202$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
If you like outdoor activities like mountain biking or trail running then South Knoxville could be a good option.
If you’re into staying fit by practicing fitness or going to the gym, becoming a member of a gym or a fitness club will cost you around 28$ a month in Knoxville which is reasonable.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Gay Street was once the center of life in Knoxville and it is slowly becoming a destination for shopping and socializing.
There are also two malls here, with West Town being the more upscale of the two.
Here you can buy a pair of quality jeans like Levi’s for a bit more than 55$, and pair of sneakers like Nike for around 97$.
RENT PER MONTH
There are also some reasonably priced apartments in the old town area, but generally, it depends on where you’re located.
For instance, West Knoxville’s rent is about twice the rent of East Knoxville.
Don’t expect to find a cute apartment anywhere near the center for less than 1,417.08$ – and that goes for one-bedroom apartments!
If you want to move in with your family in a larger apartment, then prepare to cash out at least 3,175.00$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Knoxville, TN
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $15.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $4.00 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.39 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.98 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $3.35 |
| Eggs (12) | $4.66 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $2.00 |
| Monthly Pass | $60.11 |
| Gasoline | $0.85 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $202.16 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.11 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $63.33 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $28.75 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $35.0 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $12.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $51.50 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $41.67 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $97.75 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1417.08 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $1080.77 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $3175.00 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Knoxville, TN?
Food is the biggest expense of anyone living in Knoxville, along with rent which is definitely one of the most expensive aspects of living in this city, if not the most expensive one.
Apart from food and rent, people spend a lot of money on transportation (and this includes gasoline expenses, taxi rides as well as car rental expenses) and restaurants – since there are many people who are used to eating all three of their meals in restaurants.
Utilities are also a big expense for an average person living in Knoxville – as this is also a necessary expense, something that just has to be paid, like it or not.
Average Costs Breakdown
Knoxville, TN: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
As for the quality of living in Knoxville, wages are trying to catch up with rent still.
Employment in tourism is easy to find, but the pay compared to the working hours is not the best.
You can be paid well depending on what your skills are, same as anywhere.
The minimum wage in Knoxville is around 1750$ – and though the prices are higher in this city too, this is still a reasonable amount of money that just goes in line with the high standard of living in Tennessee.
Knoxville Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Knoxville Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
