What is the cost of living in Johnson City?

Johnson City has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 87.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 63.2, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,132/month.

What is the median salary in Johnson City?

The median salary in Johnson City is $57,056 annually (mean: $61,021). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Johnson City?

The violent crime rate in the Johnson City area is 602 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2058 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Johnson City?

The state of TN has 1,844 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.3:1. Charter schools make up 6.2% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Johnson City?

Infant center-based childcare in the Johnson City area averages $7,860 per year. Preschool averages $6,190/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Johnson City a good place to relocate?

Johnson City has a Life Score of 44.7/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Johnson City sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Johnson City ranks #249 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Johnson City, TN

BEA RPP 87.9 ranks #49 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

87.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,132
2BR rent / mo: $57,056
Median salary: 47.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Johnson City ranks #249 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (47.6/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and housing.

#249
of 387 US metros · Near median: 7,227,750
metro-area population: 602
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,844
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: safety (3/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Johnson City ranks #249 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 87.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,132/mo, median salary $57,056; LiveAbility Score 47.6/100, strongest in cost of living and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 87.9 ranks #49 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 87.9 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,132/mo.

LiveAbility 47.6/100 keeps Johnson City in the middle third (#249 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Johnson City area is 74,580.

Johnson City vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

48 Top 65% higher than 35% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Johnson City housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Johnson City MSA; housing RPP 63.2 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,132/mo.

Studio

$887

/month

1 Bedroom

$893

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,132

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,398

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,548

/month

Johnson City wages and employment

Johnson City posts 74,580 total employment with median salary $57,056 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$57,056

Mean Salary

$61,021

Total Employment

74,580

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$26,270
Registered Nurses	$77,660
Retail Salespersons	$29,820
Customer Service Representatives	$36,570
Cashiers	$27,160

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Johnson City area from NCES.

Schools

1,844

Enrollment

994,264

Student:Teacher

15.3:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Johnson City area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,860

per year

Toddler (Center)

$6,190

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,190

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Johnson City's composite Life Score is 44.7/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

88/100

Elite

Wages

7/100

Bottom decile

Rent

76/100

Strong

Crime

3/100

Bottom decile

Schools

51/100

Average

Childcare

68/100

Strong

Environment

20/100

Weak

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Johnson City ranks #249 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 47.6/100 - a composite of 7 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized). Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Cost of living (88/100)

Cost of living

88
Housing

76
Climate

55
Schools

49
Low hazard

39
Job market

7
Safety

3

What this shows Johnson City's strongest dimensions are cost of living and housing; its weakest among scored dims is safety at 3/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%; this metro uses 7 of 8 dims with renormalized weights.

Compare Johnson City to

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek Decatur Decatur Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Denver-Aurora-Centennial Des Moines-West Des Moines

Metros near Johnson City on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Johnson City on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Johnson City cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Johnson City wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Johnson City?

Johnson City runs a $57,056 median salary at a 87.9 cost index, ranking #249 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Johnson City's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Johnson City head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Johnson City
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.