$100k a year, no longer in Lancaster

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of lancaster

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

$756

more each month than Lancaster ran you

Charleston costs more than Lancaster, 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

31% more expensive than Lancaster(vs $1,517/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$286/mo more in state tax than Lancaster

vs 3.07% in Lancaster

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$756 less than Lancaster

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

04a house here

$432k

12% more expensive than Lancaster

vs $384k in Lancaster

05metro size

849k

vs 559k in Lancaster

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Lancaster only logs 158 pleasant days.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 2.7× more on the calendar than Lancaster.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

6% higher than Lancaster

vs 63/100 in Lancaster

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

·walk score®

92/100

5% lower than Lancaster

vs 97/100 in Lancaster

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

1900% more than Lancaster

vs 1 nonstops in Lancaster

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