Cost of living in Memphis, TN
The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (1,337,653 people) ranks #123 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Memphis with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Memphis to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Nashville, TN, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Memphis: $85,600
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $85,600 in Memphis, TN to match $90,000 in Nashville, TN ($4,400 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Tennessee, which has no state income tax on wages; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Memphis
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Memphis
On a $70,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $58,075 after 2026 federal tax ($6,570), Social Security and Medicare ($5,355). Tennessee has no state income tax on wages.
Housing
| Measure | Memphis area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,330/mo |
| Median home value | $282,900 |
| Median property tax | $1,898/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,773 |
| Median household income | $68,124 |
Climate and jobs in Memphis
In the Memphis area the average January low is 33°F and the average July high 92°F, and the area has about 72 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.4% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $46,890 a year, 8% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 33°F |
| July high | 92°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 72 a year |
| Precipitation | 55 in a year |
| Snowfall | 2.7 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $46,890 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 611,670 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Memphis International Airport station (USW00013893). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Memphis
A single retiree spends about $2,912 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,800 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Memphis
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Memphis area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 92.9 of 100), with expected losses of about $584 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Tennessee.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Memphis?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $68,200 in Memphis. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $53,200, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $75,991.
Is Memphis expensive?
The Memphis metro area's price level is 92.2 (U.S. = 100), #123 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 79.8, 20% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Memphis?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Memphis had a net loss of about 3,440 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Memphis?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Memphis area (Memphis International Airport weather station), the average January low is 33°F and the average July high 92°F. The area has about 72 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 55 inches of precipitation a year and about 2.7 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Memphis?
The Memphis metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.4% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $46,890 a year in May 2025, 8% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Memphis?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 92.9). The highest relative risks are earthquake, tornado, heat wave.
Compare Memphis with other cities
Moving from Memphis to…
Cities with similar prices
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Moving from Tennessee