Jacksonville Knoxville

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Jacksonville to Knoxville is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.1 to 92.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $298/mo.

+$5,903
BLS median salary higher in Knoxville
365 to 602
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 15.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,627
DOL infant care lower / yr in Knoxville

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 92.1 → 92.6
Rent Delta: +$298/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $6K higher median salary
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $298/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 92.1 to 92.6 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $298/mo ($3,576/yr) from $1,173 in Jacksonville to $1,471 in Knoxville.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Knoxville sits #341 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Jacksonville is #160/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,903 higher ($57,430 → $63,333). Labor-market size: 46,520 tracked jobs at origin vs 415,720 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51) vs Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Jacksonville
Knoxville
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 92.1
RPP 92.6
Jacksonville
Rent (2BR)
$1,173/mo
$1,471/mo
Jacksonville
Wages
$57,430
$63,333
Knoxville
Crime
365 per 100K
602 per 100K
Jacksonville
Schools
15.8:1
15.3:1
Knoxville
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$7,860/yr
Knoxville
Environment
3120 violations
1192 violations
Knoxville

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
Destination state · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Jacksonville to see what you'd need to earn in Knoxville to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Knoxville
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026