What is the cost of living in Kingsport-Bristol?

Kingsport-Bristol has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 86.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 56.5, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,044/month.

What is the median salary in Kingsport-Bristol?

The median salary in Kingsport-Bristol is $57,656 annually (mean: $60,954). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.

How safe is Kingsport-Bristol?

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

What are the schools like in Kingsport-Bristol?

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 Kingsport-Bristol?

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

Is Kingsport-Bristol a good place to relocate?

Kingsport-Bristol has a Life Score of 51.2/100 (D), 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 Kingsport-Bristol sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Kingsport-Bristol ranks #96 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

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

BEA RPP 86.4 ranks #28 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

86.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,044
2BR rent / mo: $57,656
Median salary: 56.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Kingsport-Bristol ranks #96 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (56.6/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and housing.

#96
of 387 US metros · Above 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), Kingsport-Bristol ranks #96 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 86.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,044/mo, median salary $57,656; LiveAbility Score 56.6/100, strongest in cost of living and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 86.4 ranks #28 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 86.4 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,044/mo.

LiveAbility 56.6/100 puts Kingsport-Bristol in the top third (#96 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Kingsport-Bristol area is 111,690.

Kingsport-Bristol 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)

57 Top 25% higher than 75% 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

Kingsport-Bristol housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Kingsport-Bristol MSA; housing RPP 56.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,044/mo.

Studio

$720

/month

1 Bedroom

$818

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,044

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,338

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,464

/month

Kingsport-Bristol wages and employment

Kingsport-Bristol posts 111,690 total employment with median salary $57,656 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$57,656

Mean Salary

$60,954

Total Employment

111,690

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$26,890
Retail Salespersons	$31,200
Cashiers	$27,420
Stockers and Order Fillers	$35,760
Registered Nurses	$76,730

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Kingsport-Bristol area from NCES.

Schools

1,844

Enrollment

994,264

Student:Teacher

15.3:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Kingsport-Bristol area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,860

per year

Toddler (Center)

$6,190

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,190

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Kingsport-Bristol's composite Life Score is 51.2/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

93/100

Elite

Wages

25/100

Weak

Rent

89/100

Elite

Crime

3/100

Bottom decile

Schools

51/100

Average

Childcare

67/100

Strong

Environment

20/100

Weak

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Kingsport-Bristol ranks #96 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 56.6/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Cost of living (93/100)

Cost of living

93
Housing

89
Climate

77
Air quality

66
Schools

49
Low hazard

38
Job market

25
Safety

3

What this shows Kingsport-Bristol'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%.

Compare Kingsport-Bristol to

Mankato Mansfield McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Medford Memphis Merced

Metros near Kingsport-Bristol on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Kingsport-Bristol 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

Kingsport-Bristol cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Kingsport-Bristol 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 Kingsport-Bristol?

Kingsport-Bristol runs a $57,656 median salary at a 86.4 cost index, ranking #96 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Kingsport-Bristol's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Kingsport-Bristol head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Kingsport-Bristol
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.