with $100k coming in, swapping out of Knoxville

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left knoxville

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

$797

more expensive each month than Knoxville

Charleston costs more than Knoxville, 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

15% more expensive than Knoxville(vs $1,731/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Knoxville

vs 0% in Knoxville

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$797 less than Knoxville

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

04a house here

$432k

19% more expensive than Knoxville

vs $364k in Knoxville

05metro size

849k

vs 947k in Knoxville

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Knoxville only logs 189 pleasant days.

On par with Knoxville for events and shows.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

3% lower than Knoxville

vs 69/100 in Knoxville

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

·walk score®

92/100

30% higher than Knoxville

vs 71/100 in Knoxville

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

18% more than Knoxville

vs 17 nonstops in Knoxville

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