Housing and tax tradeoff: Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia comes out ahead here on home price and rent. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.
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Compare Chattanooga and 3 other shortlist cities on cost, climate, safety, and daily life
The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.
ChattanoogaKnoxvilleGreenvilleRoanoke
What Stands Out
A quick read on this comparison
Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.
Biggest tradeoff: Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on safety, weaker on climate comfort.
Potential dealbreaker: Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee needs a closer look before you get too attached, especially on rent burden.
Comparison Matrix
| City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route | ||||
| General Info | ||||
| Population | 181,288 | 185,291 | 70,838 | 99,213 |
| Population Density | 1.3k /sq mi | 1.9k /sq mi | N/A | 2.3k /sq mi |
| Center Elevation | 676 ft(206 m) | 906 ft(276 m) | 1,007 ft(307 m) | 935 ft(285 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | ||||
| Median Home | $313,143 | $359,252 | $318,309 | $268,725 |
| Median Rent | $1,514 | $1,716 | $1,550 | $1,353 |
| Median Income | $57,703 | $48,309 | $65,519 | $51,523 |
| Rent Burden | 31% | 43% | 28% | 32% |
| Climate & Risks | ||||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 302 days/yr | 304 days/yr | 309 days/yr | 307 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 71°F | 70°F | 71°F | 69°F |
| Avg. Low | 52°F | 51°F | 52°F | 48°F |
| Comfort Score | 77/100Great | 72/100Great | 81/100Great | 63/100Good |
| Temp Swing | 39°F | 41°F | 38°F | 43°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 57"(145 cm) | 49"(124 cm) | 51"(130 cm) | 44"(112 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 3"(8 cm) | 5"(13 cm) | 3"(8 cm) | 10"(25 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 442024 modeled avg · 8 days > 100 | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 17 days > 100 | Typical: 462024 modeled avg · 18 days > 100 | Typical: 392024 modeled avg · 1 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | ||||
| Walkability | 29 | 31 | N/A | N/A |
| Transit Score | 18 | 27 | N/A | N/A |
| Safety Score | 47 / 100 | 53 / 100 | 63 / 100 | 61 / 100 |
| School Rating | 6.7/10 | 6.5/10 | 5.5/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | minimalMinimal | minimalMinimal | minimalMinimal | minimalMinimal |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 100%Cable: 98% | Fiber: 67%Cable: 98% | Fiber: 40%Cable: 92% | Fiber: 56%Cable: 98% |
| Demographics | ||||
| Median Age | 37 years | 33.4 years | 33.8 years | 38.1 years |
| College Educated | 34% | 33% | 54% | 28% |
| Remote Workers | 10% | 9% | 12% | 10% |
| Nature Access | ||||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | Finding... | Finding... | Finding... |
| Scouting & Local Help | ||||
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move. | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Chattanooga. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Knoxville. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Greenville. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Roanoke. One featured slot per city |
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