01 · the cities
Kingsport
Kingsport is a planned 'model city' built by the Eastman Chemical Company in the early 1900s, with a downtown laid out in deliberate grids and the company still dominating the local economy. It's in the Tri-Cities area (with Bristol and Johnson City), tucked into the Appalachian foothills. Bays Mountain Park and the South Fork Holston River give it strong outdoor access. Quietly orderly.
full dispatch→Gainesville
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,383/mo
$1,645/mo
$262/mo more than Kingsport (16%)
Median home price
Median home price
$244k
$317k
$72k more than Kingsport
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,950/mo
$6,688/mo
Kingsport has $262/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
188 days
206 days
18 more than Kingsport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
1 days
17 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Gainesville has 16 more days above 95°F each year than Kingsport. Kingsport drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Gainesville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
59 / 100
63 / 100
4.0 pts ahead of Kingsport
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
5 routes
Metro size
Metro size
312k metro
350k metro
Kingsport has 2.7x more events per month than Gainesville.
the verdict
4
Kingsport
categories won
3
Gainesville
categories won
Kingsport wins on money. Gainesville has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
run your numbers
How far does your Kingsport salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works