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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Memphis, Tennessee

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,181 a month.

Memphis is a city in Tennessee. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $51,736 a year.

Is Memphis affordable?See benefits in Memphis
People
618,980
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,181
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$51,736
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$169,000
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,301
Memphis, TN-MS-AR HUD Metro FMR Area

Memphis, Tennessee has about 618,980 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $169,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Shelby County is $1,301 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Memphis. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, prices sit at 92.2 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Tennessee does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.6% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Memphis's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Tennessee home paid 13.71¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Memphis's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Tennessee in the table we use.

Among 278 places we list in Tennessee with a rent figure, 59 have higher typical rent than Memphis.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near MemphisWhat EBT can buy in Tennessee

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Tennessee

Bigger places in Tennessee

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.