$200,000 buys the median home in Memphis right now. With 20% down, that's a $40,000 down payment and a $160,000 loan, set against a $48,000 median household income.
At a 0.77% effective rate, Memphis property taxes add $128 to the monthly payment on the median home, $1,540 a year in total.
Tennessee charges no state income tax. Every dollar of the $48,000 median household income here converts more directly into covering the $1,249/month payment.
Memphis's cost of living index is 83, below the 100 national baseline. That's on top of the housing numbers above, not instead of them.
Memphis's median home price runs 56% lower than nearby Nashville: $450,000 there versus $200,000 here.