The Cost of Living Diaries: Johnson City, TN
Get the inside scoop on what it's like to live in this beautiful East Tennessee city.
Welcome to The Cost of Living Diaries. How much does it cost to live in Johnson City, TN? What’s it like to live and work here? Keep reading because we asked a local resident to tell us all about the cost of living in Johnson City.
Located in northeastern Tennessee near the Pisgah National Forest and the borders of Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina, Johnson City is a small town offering big charm.
Chris Edwards and Tricia Korade
With stellar options for higher education, a low cost of living, affordable housing, unparalleled outdoor beauty, distinctive shops and restaurants, and community events year-round, it’s no wonder people are clamoring to relocate to this community of 73,000.
Chris Edwards is one of them. The 54-year-old chose Johnson City out of a lineup of 20 cities across the country as his perfect place to live.
He and his girlfriend, Tricia Korade, relocated to Johnson City from the Fort Lauderdale area last year.
How long have you lived in Johnson City?
We have lived here for about a year. We were living in South Florida and knew we wanted to make a move, so we sat down and asked ourselves what is important to us. We looked at education levels, socioeconomic levels, racial ethnicity, the weather, is there a university of 15,000 students or more and a veterans hospital nearby? We had about 30 criteria, and we narrowed it down to 20 cities and literally went and spent a week in each of those cities. We ended up choosing Johnson City partly because we found a quirky place to live – it’s a 100-year-old building.
How would you describe Johnson City?
To me, it’s a large town nestled within a medium-sized urban area. We’ve got Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol, and that offers a bustling lifestyle of nature, education and the arts in a super-picturesque environment, that’s the best way I can describe it.
How affordable is rent/a mortgage in Johnson City?
To compare it to where we came from, I sold my house in Florida for $420 a square foot and bought our place in Tennessee at $170 a square foot. So, in comparison, Johnson City is extremely inexpensive for what you’re able to get. The only problem is that there are so many people moving here that there’s not a lot of inventory in rentals or to buy. I’d say the average rent here for a two-bedroom apartment is somewhere around $1,500.
What’s your favorite restaurant, and how much for dinner for two?
We love to go to a local place called the Black Olive. They serve Mediterranean food. There’s a German restaurant we like called Freiberg’s, and Spring Street is a sandwich shop. I’d say meals for both of us run around $50.
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