Memphis, TN vs Nashville, TN
Moving from Memphis to Nashville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($247,229 → $455,958 median home) and taxes.
Memphis vs Nashville 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 $105,522 in Nashville, TN (+$5,522).
Livability — Memphis, TN: 70 · Nashville, TN: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,045 sqft in Memphis vs 2,193 sqft in Nashville ($124 vs $228 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Memphis, TN | Nashville, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,292 | $21,576 | +$4,284 |
| Groceries | $4,715 | $4,715 | −$1 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,130 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $1,608 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $5,158 | $5,231 | +$73 |
| Total | $34,103 | $38,459 | +$4,356 |
Side by side
| Metric | Memphis, TN | Nashville, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 97.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.84% | 3.80% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.6% | 8.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.52 |
| Median home price | $247,229 | $455,958 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 5.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.1% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $124 | $228 |
| Median rent | $1,441 | $1,798 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% | 0.55% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 2.95 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $121 | $121 |
| Home internet / mo | $80 | $80 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 54.9 | 50.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.7 | 4.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 64% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |