$100k a year, no longer in Los Angeles

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Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left los angeles

Charleston

sc · metro 849k

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

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,146

less monthly outlay than Los Angeles

In Charleston, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

31% cheaper than Los Angeles(vs $2,899/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$233/mo less in state tax than Los Angeles

vs 9.3% in Los Angeles

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$1,146 more than Los Angeles

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

04a house here

$432k

58% cheaper than Los Angeles

vs $1029k in Los Angeles

05metro size

849k

vs 12.8M in Los Angeles

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Los Angeles edges ahead with 283 pleasant days.

Los Angeles hosts 8.5× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

0% lower than Los Angeles

vs 67/100 in Los Angeles

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

·walk score®

92/100

4% lower than Los Angeles

vs 96/100 in Los Angeles

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

87% fewer than Los Angeles

vs 150 nonstops in Los Angeles

04 · see also

cities that play in charleston's register:

compare charleston with: