same $100k income, fresh start from Ann Arbor

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Charleston, SC cityscape

from ann arbor

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

$92

more expensive each month than Ann Arbor

Almost a wash on cost. The case for Charleston is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

5% cheaper than Ann Arbor(vs $2,082/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$188/mo more in state tax than Ann Arbor

vs 4.25% in Ann Arbor

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$92 less than Ann Arbor

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

04a house here

$432k

1% more expensive than Ann Arbor

vs $429k in Ann Arbor

05metro size

849k

vs 366k in Ann Arbor

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Ann Arbor barely cracks 154 pleasant ones.

A month here packs 2.9× the events of Ann Arbor.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

20% higher than Ann Arbor

vs 56/100 in Ann Arbor

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

·walk score®

92/100

5% lower than Ann Arbor

vs 97/100 in Ann Arbor

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

85% fewer than Ann Arbor

vs 135 nonstops in Ann Arbor

04 · see also

cities that play in charleston's register:

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