Memphis rents and rental comps
The median asking rent across 20 Memphis zip codes is $1,208/month, down 3.3% from a year ago.
FedEx's hometown and a favorite for out-of-state investors buying sight unseen. No state income tax, logistics-driven economy, entry prices that pencil. Know the specific neighborhood. Plenty of deals that look good on a spreadsheet don't look as good in person.
Median Asking Rent
$1,208
Rent Change (YoY)
-3.3%
Avg Days on Market
34
Active Rental Listings
2,966
Median List Price
$145,000
Median Asking Rent Over Time
Average across 20 zip codes
Median Asking Rent by ZIP Code
Rental Listings by ZIP Code
ZIP | Median Rent |
|---|---|
| 38103 | $2,000/mo |
| 38125 | $1,945/mo |
| 38119 | $1,800/mo |
| 38120 | $1,500/mo |
| 38117 | $1,495/mo |
| 38128 | $1,345/mo |
| 38115 | $1,200/mo |
| 38118 | $1,200/mo |
| 38116 | $1,150/mo |
| 38122 | $1,125/mo |
| 38104 | $1,100/mo |
| 38107 | $1,100/mo |
| 38111 | $1,100/mo |
| 38109 | $1,095/mo |
| 38127 | $1,075/mo |
| 38114 | $1,000/mo |
| 38106 | $995/mo |
| 38112 | $979/mo |
| 38108 | $900/mo |
| 38105 | $800/mo |
Comps for any address in Memphis
Type the address, get the comps. No setup.
Median Asking Rent by Bedroom
| Unit Size | Median Rent |
|---|---|
| Studio | $949/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $778/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $950/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,363/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,650/mo |
Aggregated median across all Memphis zip codes with available data.
For-Sale Listings by ZIP Code
| ZIP | Median List Price |
|---|---|
| 38120 | $448,500 |
| 38103 | $335,000 |
| 38125 | $305,000 |
| 38119 | $299,800 |
| 38104 | $295,000 |
| 38117 | $289,900 |
| 38111 | $199,000 |
| 38112 | $199,000 |
| 38122 | $171,900 |
| 38116 | $150,000 |
| 38128 | $140,000 |
| 38105 | $139,500 |
| 38107 | $135,000 |
| 38118 | $133,000 |
| 38115 | $117,000 |
| 38114 | $110,000 |
| 38108 | $100,000 |
| 38127 | $99,000 |
| 38109 | $95,000 |
| 38106 | $65,000 |
HUD Fair Market Rents
| Unit Size | Fair Market Rent |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,590/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,730/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,910/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,520/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,940/mo |
HUD publishes Fair Market Rents once a year for the Memphis metro area. Local housing authorities use them to set Section 8 voucher payment standards, usually 90% to 110% of the FMR.
About the Memphis rental market
The median asking rent across Memphis, TN sits at $1,208/month, pulled from active rental listings in 20 zip codes. That's down 3.3% from a year ago.
Rents aren't uniform across the city. ZIP 38103 tops the list at $2,000/month. ZIP 38105 comes in lowest at $800/month. That's a 150% spread between the top and bottom zip codes, which is wide. City-wide averages won't tell you much about a specific property here.
A 2-bedroom rents for $950/month at the median. 1-bedrooms run about $778. 3-bedrooms come in around $1,363.
Average days on market sits at 34 days. Pace is steady.
Gross rent-to-value lands around 10.0% ($1,208/month rent on a $145,000 median price). Middle of the pack for cash-flow markets.
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in the Memphis metro is $1,910/month. Asking rents come in about 37% below the federal benchmark, which can make Section 8 properties competitive here.
Memphis is where a lot of out-of-state investors buy their first cash flow property. The turnkey rental industry here is massive. FedEx is headquartered here and is far and away the largest employer. No state income tax in Tennessee. Midtown, Cooper-Young, and East Memphis are premium. South Memphis and Frayser are where the turnkey operators concentrate because purchase prices are low. Memphis has been an investor market for a long time, which means PM infrastructure is well-developed. Plenty of property managers specialize in out-of-state investors. Operationally easier than some other cash flow markets. Pull your own rent comps though. Don't price off what a turnkey company tells you it'll rent for.
These numbers are city-wide averages. If you're pricing a specific property in Memphis, pull comps from the same zip code. The spread is usually bigger than people expect.
Pull rental comps for an address in Memphis
City-wide medians are the headline. The comps that actually price a property come from the block it's on. Search any Memphis address to see them.
Nearby rental markets
Nashville, TN
17 zip codes
Knoxville, TN
15 zip codes
Chattanooga, TN
15 zip codes
Atlanta, GA
20 zip codes
Charlotte, NC
17 zip codes
Raleigh, NC
15 zip codes
Related guides
How to find rental comps
What rental comps actually are, what makes one good or weak, and how to use them to price a rental without guessing.
What is fair market rent?
What HUD's fair market rent actually means, how it ties into Section 8, and when it should change how you price a rental.
How Section 8 payment standards work
The three numbers landlords mix up, the 90 to 110 percent band, and a worked example of what the voucher actually pays.