on $100k a year, leaving Birmingham

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of birmingham

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

$705

pricier each month than Birmingham

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

41% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$125/mo more in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$705 less than Birmingham

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

04a house here

$432k

66% more expensive than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

849k

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Birmingham only manages 171 of those.

Birmingham hosts 2.2× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

10% higher than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

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

·walk score®

92/100

16% higher than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

0% fewer than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

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