US flag
Memphis

United States

vs
US flag
New York City

United States

Climate

Memphis logs 85 hot days a year to New York City's 22 — New York City wins by 63. Memphis also leads on frost days by 23.

MemphisNew York City
Sunny days
230206
Hot days
8522
Frost days
3053
Rainy days
115118
Snow days
44
Outdoor dinner months
6/125/12
Avg wind
2.8 m/s2.9 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,5352,324
Darkest month sun
133 hrs/mo125 hrs/mo
UV peak month
8.77.1

Memphis

Feels-like °C

1
4
13
17
24
31
34
32
28
20
11
6

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

New York City

Feels-like °C

-5
-1
3
9
17
25
30
27
21
14
5
-3

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

New York City averages $5,415/mo for balanced living; Memphis has no cost baseline yet.

Memphis

monthly · balanced

New York City

$5,415

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $4,237Comfort $9,597
Top 98%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

Mobility

New York City scores 3.6 on mobility (0–5 scale); Memphis has no mobility baseline.

/5
vs
3.6/5
MemphisNew York City
WalkabilityTransitCyclingFlights

Culture

New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Memphis's 0.0.

0.0/5
vs
4.8/5
MemphisNew York City
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
New York City leads

Nature & Outdoors

New York City scores 4.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Memphis has no nature & outdoors baseline.

/5
vs
4.0/5
MemphisNew York City
SeaForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfing

Safety

New York City scores 2.2 on safety (0–5 scale); Memphis has no safety baseline.

/5
vs
2.2/5
MemphisNew York City
Property CrimeRoadFlooding

Career

New York City scores 5.0 on career (0–5 scale); Memphis has no career baseline.

/5
vs
5.0/5
MemphisNew York City
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

New York City scores 4.3 on social & community (0–5 scale); Memphis has no social & community baseline.

/5
vs
4.3/5
MemphisNew York City
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

New York City scores 5.0 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Memphis has no food & dining baseline.

/5
vs
5.0/5
MemphisNew York City
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

New York City scores 4.3 on family (0–5 scale); Memphis has no family baseline.

/5
vs
4.3/5
MemphisNew York City
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

New York City scores 3.5 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Memphis has no healthcare baseline.

/5
vs
3.5/5
MemphisNew York City
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Memphis averages 8.1 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus New York City's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — Memphis breathes ~6% cleaner air (0.5 µg/m³ lower).

Memphis

New York City

8.1µg/m³
8.6µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Memphis (402K) and New York City (14.2M) are 35x in population — New York City is the larger metro, Memphis the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 11x more ground.

20x

New York City is roughly 20x the scale of Memphis

Combined population & area comparison

US flagNew York City
20x
US flagMemphis
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.US flagNew York City14.2M35x
2.US flagMemphis402K1x
Area
1.US flagNew York City3,031 km²11x
2.US flagMemphis274 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
29 km22 km

US flagMemphis

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
126 km64 km

US flagNew York City

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Memphis vs New York City

Which is cheaper, Memphis or New York City?
New York City has an estimated monthly cost of $5,415.
How does the climate compare between Memphis and New York City?
Sunny days: 230 vs 206 d — Memphis higher Annual sunshine: 2,535 vs 2,324 hrs — Memphis higher Winter sunshine: 133 vs 125 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 85 vs 22 d — New York City lower Frost days: 30 vs 53 d — Memphis lower Rainy days: 115 vs 118 d — Similar Snowy days: 4 vs 4 d — Similar
Is Memphis or New York City safer?
New York City has a safety score of 2.2/5.
Should I move to Memphis or New York City?
Memphis and New York City are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Memphis and New York City stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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