Most of Germantown is in Shelby County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $32.50 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 3 ZIP codes in Germantown with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,090 to $1,640 a month. At the middle rent, $1,570, a full-time job would need to pay $49.26 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38138 | Shelby County | $1,570/mo | $49.26/hr |
| 38139 | Shelby County | $1,640/mo | $51.74/hr |
| 38183 | Shelby County | $1,090/mo | $32.50/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Germantown needs to pay at least $32.50 an hour before taxes, about $67,602 a year. That is the figure for Shelby County, where the typical studio rent is $1,090 a month.
Yes. Across the 3 ZIP codes in Germantown with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,090 to $1,640 a month. At the middle rent of $1,570, the pay needed would be $49.26 an hour.
The minimum wage in Shelby County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.5 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads