$100k a year, no longer in Austin

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Charleston, SC cityscape

swapping out of austin

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

$945

more each month than Austin ran you

Charleston doesn't pretend to be affordable. Move here for what Charleston is, not for what it leaves on your monthly ledger.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

26% more expensive than Austin(vs $1,583/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Austin

vs 0% in Austin

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$945 less than Austin

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

04a house here

$432k

0% more expensive than Austin

vs $433k in Austin

05metro size

849k

vs 2.5M in Austin

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Austin barely cracks 170 pleasant ones.

But the calendar thins out: Austin stays 2.9× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

20% higher than Austin

vs 56/100 in Austin

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

·walk score®

92/100

7% lower than Austin

vs 99/100 in Austin

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

52% fewer than Austin

vs 42 nonstops in Austin

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