Moving from Memphis to Pittsburgh

Moving to Pittsburgh costs you $276 a month

−$3,312 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

Pittsburgh leftover

$2,480

−$276 vs Memphis

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Memphis, TN and Pittsburgh, PA
Per monthMemphisPittsburghDifference
Gross pay$7,083$7,473+$389
Income and payroll tax$1,401$1,970+$569
Take-home pay$5,682$5,502−$180
Rent$1,058$1,191+$133
Getting around$548$497−$51
Groceries$364$368+$4
Healthcare$410$414+$4
Utilities$228$230+$2
Everything else$319$322+$3
Left over$2,756$2,480−$276

To break even in Pittsburgh, you'd need to earn

$95,000

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

−$5,443

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.8% in Memphis, 26.4% in Pittsburgh.

More about Pittsburgh

Memphis, TN in full

No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.

Pittsburgh, PA in full

Real city density and a robotics job market, at Rust Belt prices.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Pittsburgh on Pittsburgh wages.

PittsburghMemphis

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Pittsburgh than Memphis?

A one-bedroom is about $1,058 in Memphis versus $1,191 in Pittsburgh. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $276 a month lower in Pittsburgh. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Pittsburgh have state income tax?

Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 3.00%.

What changes if you move from Memphis to Pittsburgh?

Take-home pay is recalculated under Pennsylvania 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.