with $100k coming in, swapping out of Albany

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of albany

Charleston

sc · metro 849k

photo: Connor Scott McManus / pexels

a dispatch from

charleston

SC

32.78°N

79.94°W

Charleston is pastel rowhouses, cobblestone streets, the smell of pluff mud at low tide, and shrimp and grits that should be illegal everywhere else. The historic district is a working postcard, the food scene punches way above its size, and the porches are made for sitting. Spoleto Festival every spring brings world-class arts. It's small, dense, and absurdly photogenic.

metro849k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$398

the monthly premium over Albany

Charleston runs a little pricier than Albany. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

21% more expensive than Albany(vs $1,643/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$54/mo more in state tax than Albany

vs 5.85% in Albany

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$398 less than Albany

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$432k

20% more expensive than Albany

vs $361k in Albany

05metro size

849k

vs 905k in Albany

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Albany barely cracks 147 pleasant ones.

A month here packs 1.6× the events of Albany.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

7% lower than Albany

vs 72/100 in Albany

Closest outdoor draw: Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.Wilderness Area, 19.4 mi.

·walk score®

92/100

1% higher than Albany

vs 91/100 in Albany

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

5% more than Albany

vs 19 nonstops in Albany

04 · see also

neighbors of charleston on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

reno

$620/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

asheville

$415/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

greenville

$436/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare charleston with:

RenoAshevilleGreenville