Cost of Living: Rochester, NY vs Knoxville, TN

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,116/mo in Rochester, NY versus $4,516/mo in Knoxville, TN. In the model, rent is about 15.14% of gross in Rochester, NY versus 16.27% in Knoxville, TN, so Rochester, NY tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Rochester, NY
$4,116/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Knoxville, TN
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Rochester, NY
15.14%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Knoxville, TN
16.27%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Rochester, NY and Knoxville, TN.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Rochester, NY
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Rochester, NY
  • Lower home prices: Rochester, NY
  • Higher median household income: Knoxville, TN

Cost of Living Index

Rochester, NY: 88.4 (U.S. = 100) · Knoxville, TN: 92.2 (U.S. = 100)

Rochester, NY has a lower cost-of-living index than Knoxville, TN, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Rochester, NY: $987/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Knoxville, TN: $1,061/mo

Median rent in Knoxville, TN is $74/mo higher than in Rochester, NY.

Median Home Price

Rochester, NY: $120,600 · Knoxville, TN: $214,000

Median home price in Knoxville, TN is $93,400 higher than in Rochester, NY.

Median Household Income

Rochester, NY: $46,628 · Knoxville, TN: $50,994

Knoxville, TN has a higher median household income than Rochester, NY by $4,366.

Rochester, NY overview · Knoxville, TN overview · Popular comparisons