same $100k income, fresh start from Atlanta

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of atlanta

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

$257

pricier each month than Atlanta

Charleston costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

10% more expensive than Atlanta(vs $1,814/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$84/mo more in state tax than Atlanta

vs 5.49% in Atlanta

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$257 less than Atlanta

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

04a house here

$432k

12% more expensive than Atlanta

vs $386k in Atlanta

05metro size

849k

vs 6.3M in Atlanta

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Atlanta only manages 204 of those.

But the calendar thins out: Atlanta stays 5.8× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

0% lower than Atlanta

vs 67/100 in Atlanta

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

·walk score®

92/100

1% lower than Atlanta

vs 93/100 in Atlanta

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

91% fewer than Atlanta

vs 217 nonstops in Atlanta

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