with $100k coming in, swapping out of Kingsport

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after kingsport

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

$1,145

pricier each month than Kingsport

A real premium for Charleston. Worth it only if the city itself is the whole point.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

44% more expensive than Kingsport(vs $1,383/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Kingsport

vs 0% in Kingsport

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$1,145 less than Kingsport

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

04a house here

$432k

77% more expensive than Kingsport

vs $244k in Kingsport

05metro size

849k

vs 312k in Kingsport

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Kingsport only manages 188 of those.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 5.1× more on the calendar than Kingsport.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

14% higher than Kingsport

vs 59/100 in Kingsport

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

·walk score®

92/100

24% higher than Kingsport

vs 74/100 in Kingsport

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

400% more than Kingsport

vs 4 nonstops in Kingsport

04 · see also

neighbors of charleston on the map of tradeoffs:

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