Moving from Memphis to Detroit
Moving to Detroit costs you $281 a month
−$3,372 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
Detroit leftover
$2,475
−$281 vs Memphis
In 2022-2023, 72 households moved Memphis → Detroit (avg AGI $49,986). 53 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Memphis | Detroit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $7,628 | +$545 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $2,050 | +$649 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $5,578 | −$104 |
| Rent | $1,058 | $1,194 | +$136 |
| Getting around | $548 | $560 | +$12 |
| Groceries | $364 | $372 | +$8 |
| Healthcare | $410 | $419 | +$9 |
| Utilities | $228 | $233 | +$5 |
| Everything else | $319 | $326 | +$7 |
| Left over | $2,756 | $2,475 | −$281 |
To break even in Detroit, you'd need to earn
$97,000
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
−$5,849
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.8% in Memphis, 26.9% in Detroit.
More about Detroit
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
Detroit, MI in full
Engineering wages against some of the cheapest urban housing in America.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Detroit on Detroit wages.
Detroit → Memphis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Detroit than Memphis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,058 in Memphis versus $1,194 in Detroit. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $281 a month lower in Detroit. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Detroit have state income tax?
Detroit is in Michigan, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 2.40%.
What changes if you move from Memphis to Detroit?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Michigan 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.