same $100k income, fresh start from Cleveland

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Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after cleveland

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

$777

more expensive each month than Cleveland

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

40% more expensive than Cleveland(vs $1,419/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$209/mo more in state tax than Cleveland

vs 3.99% in Cleveland

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$777 less than Cleveland

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

04a house here

$432k

71% more expensive than Cleveland

vs $252k in Cleveland

05metro size

849k

vs 2.2M in Cleveland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Cleveland only manages 159 of those.

But the calendar thins out: Cleveland stays 2.1× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

6% higher than Cleveland

vs 63/100 in Cleveland

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

·walk score®

92/100

4% lower than Cleveland

vs 96/100 in Cleveland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

64% fewer than Cleveland

vs 56 nonstops in Cleveland

04 · see also

cities that play in charleston's register:

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