$100k salary, packing up from Albuquerque

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Charleston, SC cityscape

swapping out of albuquerque

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

$548

the monthly premium over Albuquerque

You'd pay for Charleston. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

33% more expensive than Albuquerque(vs $1,489/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$50/mo more in state tax than Albuquerque

vs 5.9% in Albuquerque

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$548 less than Albuquerque

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

04a house here

$432k

23% more expensive than Albuquerque

vs $351k in Albuquerque

05metro size

849k

vs 924k in Albuquerque

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Albuquerque only manages 205 of those.

On par with Albuquerque for events and shows.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

17% lower than Albuquerque

vs 81/100 in Albuquerque

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

·walk score®

92/100

2% lower than Albuquerque

vs 94/100 in Albuquerque

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

13% fewer than Albuquerque

vs 23 nonstops in Albuquerque

04 · see also

same energy as charleston, different zip code:

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