2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Fairfax, VA vs Memphis, TN

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Memphis or is it cheaper to live in Fairfax?
- Memphis is 39.7% less expensive than Fairfax.

Which city has more affordable housing, Memphis or Fairfax?
- Memphis housing costs are 81.1% less expensive than Fairfax housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Fairfax or is Health Care more affordable in Memphis.
- Health related expenses are 5.7% less in Memphis.
 Fairfax, VAMemphis, TNUnited States
 Overall  Unlock85.8100
 Food & Groceries114.1  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock96.8100
 Housing223.8  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$148,300$338,100
 Utilities97  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock94.5100
 Miscellaneous145.6  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Fairfax    28 Reviews

I lived in the area for 17 years through high school until I eventually became a truck driver. Having now seen most states extensively, I wanted to fairly review what  More

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Living in Fairfax, or any of the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, means dealing with highways that are a Gordian knot of converging lanes and overpasses, making long  More

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Over 11 years ago

The Cost of living here is high. Though the standard of living is also high, unless you're making over 50,000/year, it's difficult to both live and build any sort of  More

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Reviews for Memphis    148 Reviews

I was mugged my very first night in Memphis. They tried to take my iPhone. I was walking only a block from my house in a "safe" area, too.  More

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Memphis is a city with a history of civil rights, slavery , blues and rockn'roll music. It's a great place for a weekend getaway. This city has lots of great things to  More

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Over 6 years ago

Do you like being panhandled every 30 seconds? Love that cool ambiance of gangs? Are drugs your thing? Then you will love Memphis. Had good times here in the 90’s, the  More

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