Moving from Chicago to Memphis

The Story

Chicago-to-Memphis is tax + cost-relief move. IL 4.95% → TN 0% saves $4,950/yr. Housing 35% cheaper ($310K → $200K), COL 17% lower. Pull: FedEx WorldPort, AutoZone HQ, blues/soul music, BBQ, no income tax.

Why This Move

Why people move from Chicago to Memphis.

IL 4.95% drops to TN 0% — saves $4,950/year on $100K
Housing 35% cheaper — $310K Chicago becomes $200K Memphis
Cost of living 17% lower
FedEx WorldPort HQ — global logistics hub
AutoZone HQ — Fortune 500
Blues/soul music heritage (Beale Street, Sun Studio)
BBQ culture
Property taxes lower (TN 0.7% vs IL 2.1%) — major offset

Cost Comparison

The money side of IL → TN.

Chicago

Median home$310,000
Income tax4.95% (IL flat)
Cost index106

Memphis

Median home$200,000
Income tax0% (TN)
Cost index88

What to Do in Memphis

Things you'll want to know about your new city.

Bookmark this page — these are the icons of Memphis, organized by what kind of day you're planning.

Culture & Arts

Graceland — Elvis Presley's mansion — second-most-visited US home after the White House
Beale Street — Three blocks of blues clubs, BB King's, Rum Boogie — birthplace of the blues
National Civil Rights Museum (Lorraine Motel) — Built around the motel where MLK was assassinated; defining American history
Sun Studio — Where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison recorded — still operating
Stax Museum of American Soul Music — Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, soul music history
FedExForum (Grizzlies NBA) — NBA basketball; Memphis Grizzlies home
Crosstown Concourse — Repurposed Sears tower — restaurants, arts, theater, residential

Family-Friendly

Memphis Zoo — Top-ranked US zoo; pandas (one of four US zoos with them)
Peabody Hotel Ducks — Daily 11am/5pm duck march through lobby since 1933
Mud Island River Park — Mississippi River Museum and scale-model river walk

Where to Eat

Memphis's essential restaurants.

The dining list every Memphis resident knows by heart. Save the spots, work through them.

Charles Vergos' Rendezvous BBQ ribs Downtown

Memphis dry-rub rib institution since 1948
Central BBQ BBQ Multiple

Hot-smoked pulled pork, ribs, brisket — locals' favorite
Cozy Corner BBQ North Memphis

BBQ Cornish hen and rib tips — anonymous-looking dive worth seeking out
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken Fried chicken Downtown (original)

Spicy fried chicken now national; original is here
Hog & Hominy Italian-Southern East Memphis

Andy Ticer + Michael Hudman — James Beard nominees
Felicia Suzanne's Southern fine dining Downtown

James Beard semifinalist — Southern with Creole touches
The Beauty Shop Eclectic American Cooper-Young

Karen Carrier; restaurant in former 1940s beauty salon
Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen Italian East Memphis

House-made pasta; James Beard semifinalist

Where to Live

Best Memphis neighborhoods for Chicago transplants.

Mapped to the Chicago neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

Cooper-Young

If Wicker Park was your scene — walkable, art, restaurants
Crosstown

If Logan Square was your scene — walkable historic, mixed-use
Germantown (suburb)

If Naperville was your goal — affluent, top schools
Collierville (suburb)

If Wheaton was your model — master-planned, top schools
East Memphis

If Lakeview was your speed — walkable, restaurants, family
Bartlett (suburb)

If you wanted family suburb — top schools

Climate & Walkability

What daily life feels like in Memphis.

Climate

Humid subtropical. Hot, humid summers (72-91°F). Mild winters (32-50°F) with occasional ice. Spring storms and tornado risk. 54 inches rainfall, 217 sun days.

Summer72-91°F
Winter32-50°F
Sun days/yr217
Rainfall54 inches

Walkability

Walk Score38/100
Transit Score30/100
Bike Score50/100

Memphis is car-dependent — most errands require driving.

Outdoors & Recreation

Shelby Farms Park — 4,500 acres (5x Central Park) with Shelby Farms Greenline trail
Mississippi Riverfront / Tom Lee Park — newly redesigned downtown waterfront
Wolf River Greenway — 36-mile multi-use trail
Overton Park — 342 acres with old-growth forest
Mud Island and the Mississippi

Reality Check

What changes about your daily life.

IL 4.95% becomes TN 0% — $4,950/yr savings
Housing 35% cheaper — meaningful savings
COL 17% lower
Climate flips humid continental to humid subtropical — milder winters
Property taxes lower (TN 0.7% vs IL 2.1%) — major offset
CTA → MATA (significant downgrade)
Chicago corporate → FedEx logistics/AutoZone
Sports — gain Grizzlies, lose Bears/Cubs/Sox/Bulls/Hawks

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-57 S to I-55 S

530 miles via Champaign, St. Louis. 8 hours / 1 day.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 530 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$3,500-$6,500
Container/PODS$2,500-$4,500
DIY (26-ft truck)$1,800-$3,500
Best monthsApr-Oct
Lead time4-6 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions