on $100k a year, leaving Raleigh

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

from raleigh

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

$490

more each month than Raleigh ran you

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

19% more expensive than Raleigh(vs $1,663/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$167/mo more in state tax than Raleigh

vs 4.5% in Raleigh

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$490 less than Raleigh

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

04a house here

$432k

2% cheaper than Raleigh

vs $440k in Raleigh

05metro size

849k

vs 1.5M in Raleigh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Raleigh only manages 201 of those.

About as much going on as in Raleigh.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

16% higher than Raleigh

vs 58/100 in Raleigh

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

·walk score®

92/100

5% lower than Raleigh

vs 97/100 in Raleigh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

49% fewer than Raleigh

vs 39 nonstops in Raleigh

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