Detroit, MI vs Memphis, TN
Moving from Detroit to Memphis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $247,229 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Memphis at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Detroit, MI, you'd need about $93,645 in Memphis, TN (−$6,355).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Memphis, TN: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 4,045 sqft in Memphis ($163 vs $124 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Memphis, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $17,292 | −$708 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,715 | −$181 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,130 | −$1,445 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,608 | −$708 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,200 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $5,158 | −$4,389 |
| Total | $40,634 | $34,103 | −$6,532 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Memphis, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 6.84% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $247,229 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 0.1% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $124 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,441 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 0.87% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 2.95 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $74 | $121 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $80 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.3 | 54.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 2.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 53% | 64% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |