Moving from Philadelphia to Memphis
You'd keep $351 more a month in Memphis
+$4,212 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Philadelphia leftover
$2,423
a month after tax and rent
Memphis leftover
$2,774
+$351 vs Philadelphia
In 2022-2023, 28 households moved Philadelphia → Memphis (avg AGI $67,036). 45 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Philadelphia | Memphis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,125 | $7,109 | −$1,016 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,264 | $1,409 | −$855 |
| Take-home pay | $5,861 | $5,700 | −$160 |
| Rent | $1,541 | $1,058 | −$483 |
| Getting around | $418 | $548 | +$130 |
| Groceries | $408 | $364 | −$44 |
| Healthcare | $459 | $410 | −$49 |
| Utilities | $255 | $228 | −$27 |
| Everything else | $357 | $319 | −$38 |
| Left over | $2,423 | $2,774 | +$351 |
To break even in Memphis, you'd need to earn
$79,500
Household gross, versus $97,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Philadelphia does now.
The tax difference alone
+$6,650
A year, in state and local income tax. Tennessee has no wage income tax.
More about Memphis
Philadelphia, PA in full
East Coast density at half of Boston's rent, minus a 3.75% city wage tax.
Memphis, TN in full
No income tax and a logistics economy; wages trail the national median.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Memphis on Memphis wages.
Memphis → Philadelphia →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Memphis than Philadelphia?
A one-bedroom is about $1,541 in Philadelphia versus $1,058 in Memphis. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $351 a month higher in Memphis. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Memphis have state income tax?
Memphis is in Tennessee, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Philadelphia to Memphis?
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.
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.