$100k salary, packing up from Charlotte

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Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left charlotte

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

$425

the monthly premium over Charlotte

You'd pay for Charleston. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

15% more expensive than Charlotte(vs $1,728/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$167/mo more in state tax than Charlotte

vs 4.5% in Charlotte

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$425 less than Charlotte

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

04a house here

$432k

10% more expensive than Charlotte

vs $391k in Charlotte

05metro size

849k

vs 2.8M in Charlotte

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Charlotte keeps to 200 pleasant days a year.

Noticeably quieter than Charlotte. About 64% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

31% higher than Charlotte

vs 51/100 in Charlotte

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

·walk score®

92/100

2% lower than Charlotte

vs 94/100 in Charlotte

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

86% fewer than Charlotte

vs 141 nonstops in Charlotte

04 · see also

neighbors of charleston on the map of tradeoffs:

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