same $100k income, fresh start from Lakeland

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of lakeland

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

$694

pricier each month than Lakeland

Charleston costs more than Lakeland, 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

8% more expensive than Lakeland(vs $1,834/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Lakeland

vs 0% in Lakeland

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$694 less than Lakeland

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

04a house here

$432k

43% more expensive than Lakeland

vs $301k in Lakeland

05metro size

849k

vs 818k in Lakeland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Lakeland only logs 206 pleasant days.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 3.4× more on the calendar than Lakeland.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

40% higher than Lakeland

vs 48/100 in Lakeland

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

·walk score®

92/100

39% higher than Lakeland

vs 66/100 in Lakeland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

71% fewer than Lakeland

vs 68 nonstops in Lakeland

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