What salary do you need to live in Knoxville, TN?
For a single person: about $65,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose TN-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,471 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and no state income tax (Tennessee doesn't have one).
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Knoxville worker earns about $47,080/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $54,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 13% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,787/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,787/mo
$54,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,544/mo
$65,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,681/mo
$84,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,130/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,130/mo
$71,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,156/mo
$86,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,695/mo
$109,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,242/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,242/mo
$88,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,490/mo
$106,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,363/mo
$135,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,222/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,222/mo
$102,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,666/mo
$124,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,833/mo
$160,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,471) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Tennessee's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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