$100k salary, packing up from Indianapolis

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Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after indianapolis

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

$767

the monthly premium over Indianapolis

Charleston costs more than Indianapolis, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

32% more expensive than Indianapolis(vs $1,511/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$292/mo more in state tax than Indianapolis

vs 3% in Indianapolis

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$767 less than Indianapolis

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

04a house here

$432k

46% more expensive than Indianapolis

vs $296k in Indianapolis

05metro size

849k

vs 2.1M in Indianapolis

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Indianapolis only logs 174 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: Indianapolis stays 2.2× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

8% higher than Indianapolis

vs 62/100 in Indianapolis

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

·walk score®

92/100

7% lower than Indianapolis

vs 99/100 in Indianapolis

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

43% fewer than Indianapolis

vs 35 nonstops in Indianapolis

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