same $100k income, fresh start from Buffalo

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of buffalo

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

$667

more expensive each month than Buffalo

Charleston runs a little pricier than Buffalo. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

45% more expensive than Buffalo(vs $1,374/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$54/mo more in state tax than Buffalo

vs 5.85% in Buffalo

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$667 less than Buffalo

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

04a house here

$432k

54% more expensive than Buffalo

vs $280k in Buffalo

05metro size

849k

vs 1.2M in Buffalo

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Buffalo barely cracks 152 pleasant ones.

Noticeably quieter than Buffalo. About 40% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

2% higher than Buffalo

vs 66/100 in Buffalo

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

·walk score®

92/100

1% higher than Buffalo

vs 91/100 in Buffalo

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

0% fewer than Buffalo

vs 20 nonstops in Buffalo

04 · see also

if charleston appeals, also worth a look:

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