$100k salary, packing up from Sacramento

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Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after sacramento

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

$473

less monthly outlay than Sacramento

The gap is real. Charleston costs noticeably less than Sacramento, every month.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

11% cheaper than Sacramento(vs $2,226/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$233/mo less in state tax than Sacramento

vs 9.3% in Sacramento

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$473 more than Sacramento

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

04a house here

$432k

27% cheaper than Sacramento

vs $589k in Sacramento

05metro size

849k

vs 2.4M in Sacramento

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Sacramento keeps to 211 pleasant days a year.

Sacramento hosts 2.0× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

11% lower than Sacramento

vs 75/100 in Sacramento

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

·walk score®

92/100

6% lower than Sacramento

vs 98/100 in Sacramento

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

29% fewer than Sacramento

vs 28 nonstops in Sacramento

04 · see also

if charleston appeals, also worth a look:

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