Moving from Memphis to Charlotte
Moving to Charlotte costs you $207 a month
−$2,484 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Memphis leftover
$2,756
a month after tax and rent
Charlotte leftover
$2,549
−$207 vs Memphis
In 2022-2023, 104 households moved Memphis → Charlotte (avg AGI $114,144). 44 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Memphis | Charlotte | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $7,706 | +$623 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $1,868 | +$467 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $5,838 | +$156 |
| Rent | $1,058 | $1,329 | +$271 |
| Getting around | $548 | $568 | +$20 |
| Groceries | $364 | $384 | +$20 |
| Healthcare | $410 | $432 | +$22 |
| Utilities | $228 | $240 | +$12 |
| Everything else | $319 | $336 | +$17 |
| Left over | $2,756 | $2,549 | −$207 |
To break even in Charlotte, you'd need to earn
$96,000
Household gross, versus $85,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Memphis does now.
The tax difference alone
−$3,388
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.8% in Memphis, 24.2% in Charlotte.
More about Charlotte
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
Charlotte, NC in full
A banking hub with a 4.25% flat tax and mild winters.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Charlotte on Charlotte wages.
Charlotte → Memphis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Charlotte than Memphis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,058 in Memphis versus $1,329 in Charlotte. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $207 a month lower in Charlotte. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Charlotte have state income tax?
Charlotte is in North Carolina, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Memphis to Charlotte?
Take-home pay is recalculated under North Carolina tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.