Memphis, TN vs Miami, FL
Moving from Memphis to Miami? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($247,229 → $475,622 median home) and taxes.
Memphis vs Miami 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 Memphis, TN, you'd need about $121,905 in Miami, FL (+$21,905).
Livability — Memphis, TN: 70 · Miami, FL: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,045 sqft in Memphis vs 1,945 sqft in Miami ($124 vs $257 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Memphis, TN | Miami, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,292 | $32,316 | +$15,024 |
| Groceries | $4,715 | $5,091 | +$376 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,800 | +$1,670 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $1,656 | +$48 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $4,200 | +$2,000 |
| Taxes | $5,158 | $5,772 | +$615 |
| Total | $34,103 | $53,835 | +$19,732 |
Side by side
| Metric | Memphis, TN | Miami, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 112.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.84% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.6% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $6.38 |
| Median home price | $247,229 | $475,622 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $124 | $257 |
| Median rent | $1,441 | $2,693 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $38 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $121 | $88 |
| Home internet / mo | $80 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 52 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 54.9 | 67.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 64% | 70% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |