$100k salary, packing up from Houston

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Charleston, SC cityscape

from houston

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

$918

the monthly premium over Houston

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

23% more expensive than Houston(vs $1,610/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Houston

vs 0% in Houston

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$918 less than Houston

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

04a house here

$432k

39% more expensive than Houston

vs $311k in Houston

05metro size

849k

vs 7.5M in Houston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Houston barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.

But the calendar thins out: Houston stays 5.2× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

22% higher than Houston

vs 55/100 in Houston

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

·walk score®

92/100

19% higher than Houston

vs 77/100 in Houston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

89% fewer than Houston

vs 176 nonstops in Houston

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