same $100k income, fresh start from Nashville

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Charleston, SC cityscape

instead of nashville

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

$738

pricier each month than Nashville

Charleston costs more than Nashville, 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

11% more expensive than Nashville(vs $1,790/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Nashville

vs 0% in Nashville

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$738 less than Nashville

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

04a house here

$432k

6% cheaper than Nashville

vs $461k in Nashville

05metro size

849k

vs 2.1M in Nashville

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Nashville only logs 173 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: Nashville stays 6.9× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

20% higher than Nashville

vs 56/100 in Nashville

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

·walk score®

92/100

4% lower than Nashville

vs 96/100 in Nashville

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

57% fewer than Nashville

vs 47 nonstops in Nashville

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