$100k salary, packing up from Philadelphia

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Charleston, SC cityscape

from philadelphia

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

$91

more each month than Philadelphia ran you

Barely costlier than Philadelphia. If Charleston pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

6% more expensive than Philadelphia(vs $1,869/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$27/mo less in state tax than Philadelphia

vs 6.82% in Philadelphia

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$91 less than Philadelphia

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

04a house here

$432k

10% more expensive than Philadelphia

vs $393k in Philadelphia

05metro size

849k

vs 6.2M in Philadelphia

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Philadelphia only logs 173 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: Philadelphia stays 4.5× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

3% lower than Philadelphia

vs 69/100 in Philadelphia

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

·walk score®

92/100

8% lower than Philadelphia

vs 100/100 in Philadelphia

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

84% fewer than Philadelphia

vs 122 nonstops in Philadelphia

04 · see also

same energy as charleston, different zip code:

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