What salary do you need to live in Memphis, TN?
For a single person: about $65,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose TN-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,274 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and no state income tax (Tennessee doesn't have one).
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Memphis worker earns about $46,890/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $54,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 13% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,783/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,783/mo
$54,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,540/mo
$65,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,675/mo
$84,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $4,969/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,969/mo
$69,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,963/mo
$84,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,454/mo
$106,000/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,105/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,105/mo
$86,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,326/mo
$104,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,158/mo
$132,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,059/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,059/mo
$100,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,471/mo
$121,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,589/mo
$156,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,274) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Tennessee's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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