Cost of Living in Johnson City
Johnson City's cost of living centers on housing that runs a real, disclosed price band depending on source and measure -- Redfin's trailing-3-month median sale price ran $350,000 (up 11.2% YoY) as of July 2026, while a separate average-price figure cited $325,000 for June 2026 -- alongside Tennessee's no-income-tax structure offset by one of the nation's highest combined sales tax rates.
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Learn moreHousing is the dominant cost driver, with a real median-vs-average gap
Redfin's trailing-3-month median sale price stood at $350,000 as of July 2026, up 11.2% year-over-year -- a genuinely fast-appreciating market. A separate figure describing the average (not median) house price cited $325,000 for June 2026, up 7.5% YoY. These reflect different measures over overlapping windows rather than a data conflict, but the gap is disclosed rather than collapsed into one number. The market carries a Redfin "somewhat competitive" score of 61/100.
Rent runs in a real, moderate band
Average rent across all unit sizes is cited at $1,418/month, up 3.03% YoY. By unit size: $1,159 for a 1BR (683 sqft avg), $1,314 for a 2BR (990 sqft avg), and $1,827 for a 3BR (1,309 sqft avg, the largest average unit). 44% of listed rentals fall in the $1,001-$1,500/month band, the single largest price tier.
No state income tax, offset by a real, high combined sales tax
Tennessee levies no tax on wages or salaries at all (see the state record for the full history). But Johnson City's combined state-and-local sales tax runs as high as 9.75% -- Tennessee's statewide maximum -- in parts of the city, with an average across all Johnson City ZIP codes cited around 9.214%. This is a real, meaningful offset for high-spending households, not a minor footnote.
Median household income runs below the national figure -- with a real, disclosed caveat
Johnson City's median household income is cited at $57,254, 29% below the national median of $80,734, with a poverty rate of 20.3% (47% higher than Tennessee's statewide rate of 13.8%). A meaningful share of this gap likely reflects ETSU's large full-time student population, commonly counted as low-income in Census measures regardless of family financial circumstances -- a real statistical effect common in college towns, though not independently decomposed for Johnson City specifically this research pass.
Key takeaways
- Redfin's trailing-3-month median sale price was $350,000 (up 11.2% YoY) as of July 2026; a separate average-price figure cited $325,000 for June 2026 (up 7.5% YoY) -- a genuine median-vs-average measurement gap, both disclosed.
- Average rent runs $1,418/month (up 3.03% YoY), with 1BR at $1,159, 2BR at $1,314, and 3BR at $1,827; 44% of listings fall in the $1,001-$1,500/month band.
- Tennessee's no state income tax is offset by a combined sales tax reaching 9.75% (the state maximum) in parts of Johnson City, averaging around 9.214% citywide.
- Median household income ($57,254) runs 29% below the national figure and the poverty rate (20.3%) runs well above Tennessee's statewide rate -- likely reflecting, in real part, ETSU's large student population rather than the whole city's working households.
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