Memphis, Germantown, Southaven and Horn Lake compared on official figures: property tax rates, school grades, home values, income and commute times.
Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s 2025 property tax rates, the Shelby County Trustee’s tax rate history, the Mississippi Department of Revenue’s combined millage rate schedules (XLSX), the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 letter grades, the Mississippi Succeeds Report Card, the Zillow Home Value Index and the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey. Shelby County Trustee: 901-222-0200.
Germantown, about 11 miles east of the center of Memphis, and Southaven and Horn Lake, Mississippi, about 11 and 12 miles south, are the three cities closest to Memphis. This page lines them up on official figures only, one topic at a time, with each figure linked to where it comes from. It does not say which is better; that depends on the household.
What this means for you
- Memphis and Germantown share Shelby County’s tax rate; only the city rate differs.
- Southaven and Horn Lake are in another state, DeSoto County and DeSoto County Schools, with a different way of figuring property tax.
- Check any address for its city, county and school zone before you buy or rent.
Property taxes
Tennessee assesses a home at 25% of its appraised value and applies each rate per $100 of that assessed value. Mississippi assesses a single-family, owner-occupied home at 10% of its true value, according to the Department of Revenue, and levies in mills (dollars per $1,000 of assessed value). The table uses the latest year each state publishes for all four cities.
| City | City rate | County rate | School levy | City, county and school tax on a $250,000 home, before relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | $2.58081 per $100 (2025) | $2.69 (Shelby, 2025) | In the county rate | About $3,294 |
| Germantown | $1.79 per $100 (2025) | $2.69 (Shelby, 2025) | In the county rate | About $2,800 |
| Southaven, Miss. | 46.78 mills (2024-2025) | 45.13 mills (DeSoto) | 52.85 mills (DeSoto County Schools) | About $3,619 |
| Horn Lake, Miss. | 50 mills (2024-2025) | 45.13 mills (DeSoto) | 52.85 mills (DeSoto County Schools) | About $3,700 |
The Tennessee rates are from the Comptroller’s 2025 table. For 2026 bills the Shelby County Trustee lists a county rate of $2.702382, which includes $1.16 for schools (Trustee). The Mississippi figures are the lines for each city, DeSoto County and DeSoto County Schools in the state’s millage file for 2024-2025. Real bills differ with the appraised value and any relief; your Memphis city bill on the Treasury lookup shows the rate applied to your parcel.
City tax rates in a chart
Who bills you: Memphis and Germantown each send their own city tax bill; Shelby County’s comes from the Trustee (901-222-0200).
Relief and exemptions: neither Memphis nor Germantown publishes its own homestead exemption. In Shelby County the Trustee runs the state’s Tax Relief and Tax Freeze programs for older, disabled and veteran homeowners; see our property taxes guide. Mississippi has a statewide homestead exemption; DeSoto County’s assessor takes new applications from Jan. 4 to April 1, 2027.
Schools
Each state grades its schools A to F. These are the grades for the 2024-25 school year:
| City | School district | High school | 2024-25 grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | Memphis-Shelby County Schools | 44 graded high schools | 5 A, 13 B, 9 C, 16 D, 1 F |
| Germantown | Germantown Municipal School District | Houston High | A |
| Southaven, Miss. | DeSoto County Schools | Southaven High | B |
| Southaven, Miss. | DeSoto County Schools | DeSoto Central High | A |
| Horn Lake, Miss. | DeSoto County Schools | Horn Lake High | B |
Tennessee grades are from the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 file. The Memphis count covers every Memphis-Shelby County Schools campus in the file that serves high school grades and received a letter, district-run and charter; six more were not eligible for a grade. It includes Germantown High, an A, which sits inside Germantown but is run by Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Mississippi’s grades are from the Mississippi Succeeds Report Card. The two states grade on different measures, so a letter in one is not the same test as in the other. Which Memphis high school an address is zoned for is in our neighborhoods guide and schools guide.
Home values
According to the Zillow Home Value Index (Zillow Research), for each city in September 2026:
| City | Typical value | A year earlier | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | $480,889 | $486,030 | -1.1% |
| Southaven, Miss. | $273,449 | $269,910 | +1.3% |
| Horn Lake, Miss. | $201,880 | $200,585 | +0.6% |
| Memphis | $151,794 | $156,121 | -2.8% |
The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes in each city, not a sale price. More in our home prices guide.
Home values in a chart
People, income and commute
From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates:
| City | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 618,980 | $51,736 | $169,000 | 21.1 minutes |
| Germantown | 40,673 | $149,920 | $470,800 | 22.1 minutes |
| Southaven, Miss. | 56,226 | $78,483 | $236,300 | 24 minutes |
| Horn Lake, Miss. | 26,647 | $53,311 | $171,400 | 25.7 minutes |
The Census median home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, so it differs from Zillow’s figure.
City services
| Service | Memphis | Germantown | Southaven, Miss. | Horn Lake, Miss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trash pickup | City Solid Waste Management | Waste Pro, under city contract | City Public Works | Meridian Waste, through the city |
| Police | Memphis Police Department | Germantown Police Department | Southaven Police Department | Horn Lake Police Department |
| Fire | Memphis Fire Department | Germantown Fire Department | Southaven Fire and EMS | Horn Lake Fire Department and Emergency Services |
Sources: Memphis’s Solid Waste Management page, which says the division collects all solid waste within the city; Germantown’s trash and recycling page; Southaven’s Public Works page, police department and Fire and EMS page; and Horn Lake’s utility and sanitation page, police department and fire and emergency services page.
How to check an address
- Which city a parcel is in, and its value: the Shelby County Assessor of Property (901-222-7001) for Memphis and Germantown; the DeSoto County tax assessor’s appraisal data for Southaven and Horn Lake.
- School zone: Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ School Zone Locator, Germantown Municipal School District’s zone locator or DeSoto County Schools.
- Tax estimate: the Shelby County Trustee’s tax calculator or DeSoto County’s tax calculator page.
Inside Memphis? See our neighborhoods guide for the 12 areas, their school zones and home values.
Frequently asked questions
Are property taxes higher in Memphis or Germantown?
Memphis’s city rate is higher: $2.58081 per $100 of assessed value against Germantown’s $1.79 for tax year 2025, on the Tennessee Comptroller’s table. Both also pay Shelby County’s rate, $2.69 in 2025 and $2.702382 in 2026.
How do Southaven property taxes compare with Memphis?
On a $250,000 home before relief, city, county and school taxes come to about $3,619 in Southaven at 2024-2025 Mississippi rates and about $3,294 in Memphis at 2025 Tennessee rates. Mississippi’s homestead exemption can lower the Southaven bill.
Is Southaven cheaper than Germantown?
On Zillow’s Home Value Index for September 2026, the typical home was $480,889 in Germantown, $273,449 in Southaven, $201,880 in Horn Lake and $151,794 in Memphis.
What school district is Southaven in?
DeSoto County Schools. On Mississippi’s 2024-25 grades, Southaven High earned a B and DeSoto Central High, which has a Southaven address, an A. Horn Lake High earned a B.
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