same $100k income, fresh start from Detroit

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Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after detroit

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

$702

pricier each month than Detroit

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

35% more expensive than Detroit(vs $1,472/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$188/mo more in state tax than Detroit

vs 4.25% in Detroit

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$702 less than Detroit

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

04a house here

$432k

65% more expensive than Detroit

vs $262k in Detroit

05metro size

849k

vs 4.3M in Detroit

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Detroit keeps to 160 pleasant days a year.

Lighter on events: Detroit packs 2.2× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

43% higher than Detroit

vs 47/100 in Detroit

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

·walk score®

92/100

7% lower than Detroit

vs 99/100 in Detroit

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

85% fewer than Detroit

vs 135 nonstops in Detroit

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