.NET Developer Salary in Memphis (2026): $58,000-$130,000 (2026)

Memphis’s cost-of-living index near 83 means a . NET developer’s salary goes farther than in major tech hubs.

Housing is the largest factor: a one-bedroom in Midtown or Downtown typically rents for $900–$1,100/month; family homes in suburbs like Germantown or Collierville often have mortgage-equivalent payments in the $1,200–$1,700/month range. Commute costs are modest — average gas prices and shorter drives (20–30 minutes from many residential neighborhoods to corporate campuses) keep monthly transport expenses lower than the national average.

For a mid-level . NET developer earning ~$85k, after taxes and typical Tennessee insurance deductions, discretionary income can cover childcare, a modest mortgage, and savings more easily than the same salary in Nashville or Austin.

That affordability enables developers to prioritize longer-term goals (homeownership, student loan repayment) or accept slightly lower base pay in exchange for stronger benefits, flexible schedules, or training opportunities.

Salaries in Memphis reflect a balance of strong industry demand in logistics and enterprise systems but a smaller pure-tech presence. Major employers — FedEx and AutoZone — drive a steady need for backend .

NET expertise supporting enterprise logistics, order management, and billing systems. Healthcare institutions such as St.

Jude and large regional hospital systems also sponsor internal applications and integrations that rely on . NET stacks.

Manufacturing and paper companies (e. g.

, International Paper) maintain legacy . NET applications and modernization projects.

The prevalence of enterprise IT and fewer venture-funded startups keeps top-of-market salaries below national tech centers, but steady project pipelines create consistent hiring. Additionally, regional MSPs and consultancies hire .

NET developers for client projects, creating contract and perm roles. Recent trends: modernization of monolithic .

NET Framework apps to . NET Core/.

NET 6+, containerization, and integration with cloud (Azure) are pushing mid-to-senior specialists’ value upward.

Compared with Nashville (COL ~110), Memphis offers lower nominal pay but significantly lower expenses. A .

NET senior might earn ~$115k in Memphis versus ~$140k+ in Nashville — yet after housing and childcare costs the real purchasing gap narrows. Little Rock and Jackson show similar patterns: slightly lower or comparable salaries but marginally different living costs.

Commuting into Memphis from nearby suburbs (Collierville, Bartlett, Southaven MS) is common and cost-effective; relocation to Nashville is worth considering when career growth, product/company fit, or equity upside exceeds the higher living costs. Remote work makes it feasible to capture Nashville or out-of-state salaries while living in Memphis; however, some employers adjust pay by location.

For developers, hybrid roles with occasional on-site visits at FedEx/AutoZone or client sites provide the best balance if you prefer Memphis living while accessing higher-paying contracts.

Typical progression: entry (0–2 years) focuses on C#, ASP. NET MVC/Web API, SQL Server, and joining larger teams for maintenance tasks; mid-level (3–7 years) takes ownership of modules, leads integrations, and often manages deployment pipelines (Azure DevOps, CI/CD); senior (8+ years) architects solutions, mentors juniors, and drives modernization to .

NET Core/. NET 6+, microservices and cloud-native patterns.

Time-to-promo is often tied to cross-domain skills: adding Azure certification, DevOps experience, or full-stack proficiency (React/Angular front end) accelerates moves into mid and senior bands. In Memphis, gaining exposure to logistics domain knowledge (shipment processing, EDI, inventory optimization) or healthcare data workflows can be a differentiator that yields earlier senior-role offers or higher pay from enterprise employers.

Contract work and freelance consulting on migration projects also accelerate income growth for experienced devs.

When negotiating, be explicit about local market norms: reasonable base ranges are entry $55k–$70k, mid $75k–$95k, senior $100k–$130k depending on domain and cloud skillset. Emphasize Azure experience, .

NET Core/. NET 6+, and domain knowledge (logistics, healthcare) to justify the higher end.

Because Memphis employers often compensate with benefits, negotiate paid time off, remote/hybrid flexibility, training/tuition reimbursement, and certification budgets if base pay is constrained. For FedEx/AutoZone-style corporate roles, ask about shift differentials for 24/7 teams and internal bonus formulas; for consultancies, negotiate favorable day rates or guaranteed minimum hours.

Culturally, Memphis teams value reliability and demonstrable results—use concrete metrics (reduced request latency, refactor time savings, migration milestones) in salary conversations. If targeting remote positions, confirm locality-based pay adjustments and consider asking for a location-agnostic compensation clause if your contributions match higher-cost markets.