On June 29, 2026, the blog post here was “The Pressing Memphis Diaspora” based on the significant demographic shift underway in our city, county, and region.
As part of that post there were maps showing where Memphians were moving which indicated that our community’s lower cost of living is not an anchor strong enough to keep people here.
Often, people have moved to higher cost – and higher profile – cities which are significantly more expensive. Generally speaking, moving to a city in the South is generally comparable to Memphis, which suggests that the thickness of the job markets could play a significant role in the decision to relocate.
As for the point about higher profile cities, between 2018-2023, 2,016 people moved to New York City. There, in Manhattan, it costs $158,946 to live the same as someone earning $60,000 in Memphis; $110,785 in Brooklyn; and $103,722 in Queens.
Meanwhile, 1,787 people moved from Memphis to Los Angeles. To maintain the standard of living they had here on $60,000, they need $102,511.
1,629 people moved to Miami, where it requires $81,121 to live like they do here on $60,000; 1,386 moved to Chicago with its $79,574 price tag for the same cost of living you get for $60,000 in Memphis; and 1,435 moved to Phoenix which costs $70,561 to live the same as you do in Memphis for $60,000.
Texas cities were popular destinations in the Memphis out-migration. Dallas received 2,742 former Memphians and Houston 1,830. Cost of living in those cities are not significantly more than Memphis with $66,256 needed in Dallas and $62,758 in Houston to live similarly to what a $60,000 salary provides here.
Memphis’s lower cost of living is a competitive advantage but is often underplayed as an emphasis point in our marketing. That’s not the case with Choose 901, the organization dedicated to attracting new Memphians and connecting them to make a difference. Under the heading, MEMPHIS IS DOPE, it lists cost of living first in a summary of what makes Memphis special.
It was a reminder of a focus group of research fellows at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. When they were asked why they chose to come to Memphis, one person summed it up well: “Here, I can quit living like a student.” Explaining further, she said that if she had chosen Boston instead, she would be living in an apartment with a roommate and her bicycle on the fire escape. “Here, I could afford to buy a house,” she said.
By the way, Boston would require $99,753 to live like you can in Memphis on $60,000.
Here are the incomes required in other cities to live comparable to $60,000 in Memphis:
$123,834 – Honolulu
$97,601 – Seattle
$77,623 – Portland OR
$75,480 – New Orleans
$73,924 – Denver
$67,735 – Baltimore
$67,265 – USA Average
$67,601 – Milwaukee
$67,130 – Detroit
$66,323 – Nashville
$64,776 – Cincinnati
$64,574 – Austin
$64,036 – Richmond
$63,632 – Little Rock
$63,498 – Raleigh
$61,076 – Huntsville
$61,009 – Orlando
$60,471 – Birmingham
$60,336 – Indianapolis
$58,722 – Chattanooga
$57,848 – Knoxville
$54,619 – Oklahoma City
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