same $100k income, fresh start from Phoenix

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Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after phoenix

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

$581

pricier each month than Phoenix

Charleston runs a little pricier than Phoenix. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

14% more expensive than Phoenix(vs $1,739/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$333/mo more in state tax than Phoenix

vs 2.5% in Phoenix

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$581 less than Phoenix

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

04a house here

$432k

6% cheaper than Phoenix

vs $458k in Phoenix

05metro size

849k

vs 5.1M in Phoenix

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Phoenix barely cracks 181 pleasant ones.

79% fewer events than Phoenix. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

2% higher than Phoenix

vs 66/100 in Phoenix

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

·walk score®

92/100

5% lower than Phoenix

vs 97/100 in Phoenix

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

78% fewer than Phoenix

vs 91 nonstops in Phoenix

04 · see also

cities that play in charleston's register:

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