Moving from Memphis to Seattle
You'd keep $622 more a month in Seattle
+$7,464 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
Seattle leftover
$3,378
+$622 vs Memphis
In 2022-2023, 125 households moved Memphis → Seattle (avg AGI $80,144). 37 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Memphis | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $9,341 | +$2,257 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $2,071 | +$669 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $7,270 | +$1,588 |
| Rent | $1,058 | $1,761 | +$703 |
| Getting around | $548 | $493 | −$55 |
| Groceries | $364 | $452 | +$88 |
| Healthcare | $410 | $508 | +$98 |
| Utilities | $228 | $283 | +$55 |
| Everything else | $319 | $395 | +$76 |
| Left over | $2,756 | $3,378 | +$622 |
To break even in Seattle, you'd need to earn
$101,500
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. Washington has no wage income tax.
More about Seattle
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
Seattle, WA in full
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Seattle on Seattle wages.
Seattle → Memphis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Seattle than Memphis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,058 in Memphis versus $1,761 in Seattle. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $622 a month higher in Seattle. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Seattle have state income tax?
Seattle is in Washington, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Memphis to Seattle?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Washington 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.