$100k a year, no longer in Boulder

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Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left boulder

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

$54

less monthly outlay than Boulder

Money-wise it's a wash. The case for Charleston is everything that isn't rent.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

10% cheaper than Boulder(vs $2,216/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$175/mo more in state tax than Boulder

vs 4.4% in Boulder

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$54 more than Boulder

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

04a house here

$432k

45% cheaper than Boulder

vs $783k in Boulder

05metro size

849k

vs 327k in Boulder

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Boulder only manages 178 of those.

A real upgrade on things to do: 6.8× Boulder's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

15% lower than Boulder

vs 79/100 in Boulder

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

·walk score®

92/100

10% higher than Boulder

vs 84/100 in Boulder

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

88% fewer than Boulder

vs 169 nonstops in Boulder

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as charleston:

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