on $100k a year, leaving Anchorage

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Charleston, SC cityscape

swapping out of anchorage

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

$815

the monthly premium over Anchorage

Charleston is the expensive option. The argument has to be entirely about the place, not the price.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

16% more expensive than Anchorage(vs $1,713/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Anchorage

vs 0% in Anchorage

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$815 less than Anchorage

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

04a house here

$432k

2% cheaper than Anchorage

vs $438k in Anchorage

05metro size

849k

vs 401k in Anchorage

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Anchorage only logs 93 pleasant days.

·outdoorscore

67/100

1% lower than Anchorage

vs 68/100 in Anchorage

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

·walk score®

92/100

16% higher than Anchorage

vs 79/100 in Anchorage

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

41% fewer than Anchorage

vs 34 nonstops in Anchorage

04 · see also

if charleston appeals, also worth a look:

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