Memphis vs Johnson City leftover
Moving to Johnson City costs you $405 a month
$2,364/mo leftover in Johnson City vs $2,769 in Memphis after tax and rent ($405 less). −$4,860 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Memphis leftover
$2,769
a month after tax and rent
Johnson City leftover
$2,364
−$405 vs Memphis
Compare Memphis to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Memphis.
Monthly gap
Memphis → Johnson City
$405
less / month in Memphis
$2,364 in Johnson City · $2,769 in Memphis · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$405 / mo
| Per month | Memphis | Johnson City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $6,437 | −$646 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $1,210 | −$192 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $5,227 | −$455 |
| Rent | $1,045 | $969 | −$76 |
| Getting around | $548 | $556 | +$8 |
| Groceries | $364 | $369 | +$5 |
| Healthcare | $410 | $415 | +$5 |
| Utilities | $228 | $231 | +$3 |
| Everything else | $319 | $323 | +$4 |
| Left over | $2,769 | $2,364 | −$405 |
To break even in Johnson City, you'd need to earn
$84,000
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
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Tennessee has no wage income tax.
More about Johnson City
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
Johnson City, TN in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,154 and 207 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Johnson City on Johnson City wages.
Johnson City → Memphis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Johnson City than Memphis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,045 in Memphis versus $969 in Johnson City. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $405 a month lower in Johnson City. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Johnson City have state income tax?
Johnson City is in Tennessee, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Memphis to Johnson City?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Tennessee 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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Memphis and Johnson City moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.