with $100k coming in, swapping out of New York

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left new york

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

$1,695

below New York's monthly cost

Charleston runs on a fraction of New York's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

40% cheaper than New York(vs $3,329/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$352/mo less in state tax than New York

vs 10.73% in New York

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$1,695 more than New York

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

04a house here

$432k

42% cheaper than New York

vs $739k in New York

05metro size

849k

vs 19.5M in New York

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

New York only manages 171 of those.

99% fewer events than New York. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

14% lower than New York

vs 78/100 in New York

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

·walk score®

92/100

8% lower than New York

vs 100/100 in New York

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

91% fewer than New York

vs 215 nonstops in New York

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