Huntsville vs Memphis
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $169,000 in Memphis and $293,600 in Huntsville.
- Households earn more in Huntsville ($74,714 vs $51,736 median).
- Huntsville is growing faster: +8.7% since 2020 vs -3%.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Alabama's top rate is 5%.
Side by side
| Huntsville, AL | Memphis, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 233,627 | 609,647 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.7% | -3% |
| People per square mile | 1,037 | 2,104 |
| Median age | 36.9 | 34.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 28% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $74,714 | $51,736 |
| Median home value | $293,600 | $169,000 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 3.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,171 | $1,181 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 92.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 77.9 | 79.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $69,100 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 45% |
| Top state income tax | 5% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.46% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.7 | 21.1 |
| Work from home | 15% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.1% | 8.3% |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% | 23.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 33° | 51° / 33° |
| July high / low | 92° / 71° | 92° / 74° |
| Precipitation per year | 54 in | 55 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 72 |
| Nights below freezing | 56 | 44 |
| Comfortable months | 1 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.6 | 99.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43% | +33.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Huntsville: October. Memphis: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Huntsville weather by month and Memphis weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,800 in Huntsville and $69,100 in Memphis. Moving from Huntsville to Memphis, you would need about $74,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Huntsville and Memphis
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Huntsville and Memphis.
Which would you pick?
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