Kingsport, TN vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Kingsport to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($246,242 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Kingsport vs Detroit 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 $115,530 in Detroit, MI (+$15,530).
Livability — Kingsport, TN: 75 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,062 sqft in Kingsport vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($123 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kingsport, TN | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $18,000 | +$1,800 |
| Groceries | $4,736 | $4,896 | +$160 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,575 | +$1,445 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $2,316 | +$708 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $4,400 | $9,547 | +$5,148 |
| Total | $32,273 | $40,634 | +$8,361 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kingsport, TN | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 85.0 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.84 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $246,242 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $123 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |