$100k a year, no longer in Orlando

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Charleston, SC cityscape

swapping out of orlando

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

$591

the monthly cost of moving past Orlando

You'd pay for Charleston. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

3% more expensive than Orlando(vs $1,937/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Orlando

vs 0% in Orlando

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$591 less than Orlando

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

04a house here

$432k

7% more expensive than Orlando

vs $402k in Orlando

05metro size

849k

vs 2.8M in Orlando

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Orlando has the edge here, logging 216 pleasant days a year.

But the calendar thins out: Orlando stays 3.8× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

8% higher than Orlando

vs 62/100 in Orlando

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

·walk score®

92/100

5% lower than Orlando

vs 97/100 in Orlando

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

86% fewer than Orlando

vs 146 nonstops in Orlando

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