on $100k a year, leaving Santa Maria

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

swapping out of santa maria

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

$1,599

under Santa Maria, every month

In Charleston, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

41% cheaper than Santa Maria(vs $3,352/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$233/mo less in state tax than Santa Maria

vs 9.3% in Santa Maria

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$1,599 more than Santa Maria

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

04a house here

$432k

59% cheaper than Santa Maria

vs $1059k in Santa Maria

05metro size

849k

vs 441k in Santa Maria

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Santa Maria edges ahead with 337 pleasant days.

·outdoorscore

67/100

14% higher than Santa Maria

vs 59/100 in Santa Maria

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

·walk score®

92/100

6% higher than Santa Maria

vs 87/100 in Santa Maria

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

900% more than Santa Maria

vs 2 nonstops in Santa Maria

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as charleston:

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