$100k salary, packing up from Harrisburg

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

swapping out of harrisburg

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

in our guides

#5

of 10

Best mid-sized US cities

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for young professionals

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best affordable cities to live car-free

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities for couples

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for live music and arts

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for mild four-season weather

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities to live in the South

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best affordable coastal cities

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities on the East Coast

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities to live in the Southeast

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in the Carolinas

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best warm affordable coastal cities

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities to live in your 30s

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$827

the monthly cost of moving past Harrisburg

Charleston doesn't pretend to be affordable. Move here for what Charleston is, not for what it leaves on your monthly ledger.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

37% more expensive than Harrisburg(vs $1,446/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$286/mo more in state tax than Harrisburg

vs 3.07% in Harrisburg

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$827 less than Harrisburg

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

04a house here

$432k

40% more expensive than Harrisburg

vs $309k in Harrisburg

05metro size

849k

vs 606k in Harrisburg

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Harrisburg barely cracks 152 pleasant ones.

A similar weekend lineup to Harrisburg.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

3% lower than Harrisburg

vs 69/100 in Harrisburg

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

·walk score®

92/100

1% lower than Harrisburg

vs 93/100 in Harrisburg

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

67% more than Harrisburg

vs 12 nonstops in Harrisburg

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