Kingsport, TN vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Kingsport to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($246,242 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Kingsport vs Charlotte 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 Kingsport, TN, you'd need about $114,514 in Charlotte, NC (+$14,514).
Livability — Kingsport, TN: 75 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,062 sqft in Kingsport vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($123 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kingsport, TN | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $20,880 | +$4,680 |
| Groceries | $4,736 | $4,834 | +$98 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,130 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $1,752 | +$144 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,000 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $4,400 | $8,740 | +$4,341 |
| Total | $32,273 | $41,336 | +$9,062 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kingsport, TN | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 85.0 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.84 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $246,242 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $123 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |