---
title: "Knoxville vs Newport News for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/knoxville-vs-newport-news
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 62. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Knoxville vs Newport News for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 62. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, cost of living, getting there & around, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Knoxville if you want** to spend about $161 less a month.

**Pick Newport News if you want** no clear edge over Knoxville in the data.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 24 | 22 | Knoxville |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 85 | 86 | Newport News |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 8 | Knoxville |
| Climate | 50 | 50 | tie |
| Air quality | 93 | 97 | Newport News |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,777 | $2,938 | Knoxville |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 94.2 Mbps | 93.6 Mbps | Knoxville |
| Upload | 20.5 Mbps | 29.8 Mbps | Newport News |

## Visa

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 35 | 19 | Knoxville |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Knoxville | Newport News | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.3 µg/m³ | 6.3 µg/m³ | Newport News |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Knoxville or Newport News?

Knoxville is cheaper: about $2,777 per month versus $2,938 for one person.

### Is Knoxville or Newport News safer?

Knoxville and Newport News score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Knoxville or Newport News?

Knoxville: a measured median of 94.2 Mbps versus 93.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Knoxville](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/knoxville) · [Newport News](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/newport-news). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); OpenFlights airports and routes; Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/knoxville-vs-newport-news