Detroit, MI vs Knoxville, TN
Moving from Detroit to Knoxville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $367,158 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Knoxville at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Detroit, MI, you'd need about $93,937 in Knoxville, TN (−$6,063).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Knoxville, TN: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 2,723 sqft in Knoxville ($163 vs $184 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Knoxville, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $21,144 | +$3,144 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,715 | −$182 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,130 | −$1,445 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,608 | −$708 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,200 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $4,576 | −$4,971 |
| Total | $40,634 | $37,372 | −$3,262 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Knoxville, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 92.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 4.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 2.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.25 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $367,158 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 1.8% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $184 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,762 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 0.53% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |