with $100k coming in, swapping out of Des Moines

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of des moines

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

$760

the monthly premium over Des Moines

Charleston runs a little pricier than Des Moines. 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

57% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$42/mo more in state tax than Des Moines

vs 6% in Des Moines

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$760 less than Des Moines

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

04a house here

$432k

44% more expensive than Des Moines

vs $300k in Des Moines

05metro size

849k

vs 737k in Des Moines

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Des Moines barely cracks 151 pleasant ones.

Things to do run about even with Des Moines.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

22% higher than Des Moines

vs 55/100 in Des Moines

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

·walk score®

92/100

18% higher than Des Moines

vs 78/100 in Des Moines

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

18% more than Des Moines

vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines

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