with $100k coming in, swapping out of El Paso

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Charleston, SC cityscape

from el paso

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

$1,055

more expensive each month than El Paso

Charleston costs noticeably more than El Paso. You'd be paying for Charleston itself, not for breathing room around it.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

35% more expensive than El Paso(vs $1,473/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than El Paso

vs 0% in El Paso

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$1,055 less than El Paso

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

04a house here

$432k

87% more expensive than El Paso

vs $231k in El Paso

05metro size

849k

vs 872k in El Paso

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

El Paso actually gets more: 222 pleasant days a year.

A month here packs 1.4× the events of El Paso.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

3% higher than El Paso

vs 65/100 in El Paso

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

·walk score®

92/100

1% lower than El Paso

vs 93/100 in El Paso

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

54% more than El Paso

vs 13 nonstops in El Paso

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as charleston:

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