Memphis, TN vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Memphis to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($247,229 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Memphis vs Philadelphia 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 $111,328 in Philadelphia, PA (+$11,328).
Livability — Memphis, TN: 70 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,045 sqft in Memphis vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($124 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Memphis, TN | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,292 | $22,968 | +$5,676 |
| Groceries | $4,715 | $4,909 | +$194 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,440 | +$310 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $2,316 | +$708 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,200 | −$1,000 |
| Taxes | $5,158 | $10,192 | +$5,035 |
| Total | $34,103 | $45,025 | +$10,922 |
Side by side
| Metric | Memphis, TN | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.84% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.6% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $247,229 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.1% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $124 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,441 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $121 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $80 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 54.9 | 44.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.7 | 23.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 64% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |