Overall
- Memphis
- 92.2
- Winston-Salem
- 92.0
Diff -0.1 RPP
Memphis vs Winston-Salem
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Winston-Salem is 0.1% less expensive than Memphis.
0.1% less expensive
Winston-Salem, NC is 0.1% less expensive than Memphis, TN-MS-AR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.0 vs 92.2). A $100,000 salary in Memphis buys about the same as $99,852 in Winston-Salem; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.2 (Memphis) vs 92.0 (Winston-Salem)
- $100k in Memphis ≈ $99,852 purchasing power in Winston-Salem
- Services drives the gap (+14.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TN:NC 92.2→92.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TN × NC
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Memphis
92.2
Cost Index
Winston-Salem
92.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Memphis, TN-MS-AR and Winston-Salem, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Winston-Salem is 14.3 points higher. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Memphis to $99,852 in Winston-Salem, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Memphis
- 96.2
- Winston-Salem
- 96.6
Diff +0.4 RPP
Services
- Memphis
- 74.1
- Winston-Salem
- 88.4
Diff +14.3 RPP
Rents
- Memphis
- 79.8
- Winston-Salem
- 71.4
Diff -8.4 RPP
| Category | Memphis | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.2 | 92.0 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.6 | +0.4 |
| Services | 74.1 | 88.4 | +14.3 |
| Rents | 79.8 | 71.4 | -8.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Memphis 92.2
Winston-Salem 92.0
Goods
Memphis 96.2
Winston-Salem 96.6
Services
Memphis 74.1
Winston-Salem 88.4
Rents
Memphis 79.8
Winston-Salem 71.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Memphis would need to be in Winston-Salem for the same purchasing power:
| In Memphis | In Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,926 | $-74 |
| $75,000 | $74,889 | $-111 |
| $100,000 | $99,852 | $-148 |
| $150,000 | $149,779 | $-221 |
$ in Memphis = in Winston-Salem
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.2 → 92.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Winston-Salem more expensive than Memphis?
Winston-Salem is 0.1% less expensive than Memphis. The overall cost index is 92.0 vs 92.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Winston-Salem equals $100K in Memphis?
A $100,000 salary in Memphis has the same purchasing power as $99,852 in Winston-Salem. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Memphis and Winston-Salem?
Rents in Memphis are indexed at 79.8 while Winston-Salem is at 71.4 (national average = 100). Memphis has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.