Cost of living comparison

 United States
compared to
 Memphis (TN), United States
Memphis vs. United States Cost of Living Summary

Memphis is 5.1% cheaper than United States overall.

Restaurants
pay 0.7% less in Memphis
Groceries
pay 4.3% more in Memphis
Transportation
pay 29.3% less in Memphis
Housing
pay 9.8% less in Memphis
Childcare
pay 14.3% more in Memphis
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.7% less in Memphis
Clothing
pay 4.5% less in Memphis

The cost of childcare and groceries in Memphis are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Memphis.

Memphis vs. United States Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Memphis instead of United States, you would:

pay 0.7% less for restaurants

 
United States
Memphis
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.59
 
$19.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.47
 
$10.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.50
 
$2.51
 

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pay 4.3% more for groceries

 
United States
Memphis
Bread
1 loaf
$3.49
 
$2.49
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.33
 
$5.01
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.91
 
$3.59
 

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pay 29.3% less for transportation

 
United States
Memphis
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.61
 
$3.13
 
Monthly public transit pass $65.15
 
$12.50
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,583.67
 
$33,000.00
 

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pay 9.8% less for housing

 
United States
Memphis
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$67.50
 
$69.40
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,655.99
 
$1,093.56
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,423.40
 
$1,072.22
 

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pay 14.3% more for childcare

 
United States
Memphis
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,351.84
 
$1,436.67
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,265.44
 
$27,240.00
 

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pay 9.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
United States
Memphis
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.78
 
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.04
 
$4.75
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.68
 
$8.00
 

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pay 4.5% less for clothing

 
United States
Memphis
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.38
 
$38.99
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.66
 
$33.75
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.52
 
$71.80
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: May 2025
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