with $100k coming in, swapping out of Grand Rapids

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

from grand rapids

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

$554

the monthly cost of moving past Grand Rapids

Charleston runs a little pricier than Grand Rapids. 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

23% more expensive than Grand Rapids(vs $1,620/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$188/mo more in state tax than Grand Rapids

vs 4.25% in Grand Rapids

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$554 less than Grand Rapids

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

04a house here

$432k

22% more expensive than Grand Rapids

vs $353k in Grand Rapids

05metro size

849k

vs 1.2M in Grand Rapids

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Grand Rapids barely cracks 151 pleasant ones.

Lighter on events: Grand Rapids packs 1.7× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

20% higher than Grand Rapids

vs 56/100 in Grand Rapids

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

·walk score®

92/100

5% lower than Grand Rapids

vs 97/100 in Grand Rapids

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

0% fewer than Grand Rapids

vs 20 nonstops in Grand Rapids

04 · see also

same energy as charleston, different zip code:

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