Moving from Memphis to Washington
You'd keep $118 more a month in Washington
+$1,416 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
Washington leftover
$2,874
+$118 vs Memphis
In 2022-2023, 167 households moved Memphis → Washington (avg AGI $85,443). 80 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Memphis | Washington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $9,652 | +$2,569 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $2,747 | +$1,345 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $6,905 | +$1,223 |
| Rent | $1,058 | $1,929 | +$871 |
| Getting around | $548 | $463 | −$85 |
| Groceries | $364 | $452 | +$88 |
| Healthcare | $410 | $508 | +$98 |
| Utilities | $228 | $283 | +$55 |
| Everything else | $319 | $395 | +$76 |
| Left over | $2,756 | $2,874 | +$118 |
To break even in Washington, you'd need to earn
$113,500
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
−$7,004
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.8% in Memphis, 28.5% in Washington.
More about Washington
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
Washington, DC in full
Recession-resistant government and consulting pay, humid summers, real transit.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Washington on Washington wages.
Washington → Memphis →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Washington than Memphis?
A one-bedroom is about $1,058 in Memphis versus $1,929 in Washington. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $118 a month higher in Washington. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Washington have state income tax?
Washington is in District of Columbia, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Memphis to Washington?
Take-home pay is recalculated under District of Columbia 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.