Memphis, TN vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Memphis to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($247,229 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Memphis vs Seattle 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 $122,604 in Seattle, WA (+$22,604).
Livability — Memphis, TN: 70 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,045 sqft in Memphis vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($124 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Memphis, TN | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,292 | $26,784 | +$9,492 |
| Groceries | $4,715 | $5,405 | +$690 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,075 | +$945 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $1,548 | −$60 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,500 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $5,158 | $8,826 | +$3,669 |
| Total | $34,103 | $48,138 | +$14,035 |
Side by side
| Metric | Memphis, TN | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.84% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.6% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $247,229 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.1% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $124 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,441 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $121 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $80 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 54.9 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.7 | 6.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 64% | 47% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |