Moving from Memphis to Riverside
Moving to Riverside costs you $1,386 a month
−$16,632 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
Riverside leftover
$1,370
−$1,386 vs Memphis
In 2022-2023, 56 households moved Memphis → Riverside (avg AGI $42,339). 71 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Memphis | Riverside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $7,317 | +$234 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $1,820 | +$419 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $5,497 | −$185 |
| Rent | $1,058 | $1,946 | +$888 |
| Getting around | $548 | $644 | +$96 |
| Groceries | $364 | $424 | +$60 |
| Healthcare | $410 | $477 | +$67 |
| Utilities | $228 | $265 | +$37 |
| Everything else | $319 | $371 | +$52 |
| Left over | $2,756 | $1,370 | −$1,386 |
To break even in Riverside, you'd need to earn
$115,000
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
−$4,193
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.8% in Memphis, 24.9% in Riverside.
More about Riverside
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
Riverside, CA in full
Southern California's affordable option, paid for with a 33-minute commute.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Riverside on Riverside wages.
Riverside → Memphis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Riverside than Memphis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,058 in Memphis versus $1,946 in Riverside. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,386 a month lower in Riverside. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Riverside have state income tax?
Riverside is in California, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Memphis to Riverside?
Take-home pay is recalculated under California 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.