on $100k a year, leaving Santa Rosa

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left santa rosa

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

$844

lighter monthly cost than Santa Rosa

Charleston runs on a fraction of Santa Rosa's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

23% cheaper than Santa Rosa(vs $2,597/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$233/mo less in state tax than Santa Rosa

vs 9.3% in Santa Rosa

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$844 more than Santa Rosa

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

04a house here

$432k

47% cheaper than Santa Rosa

vs $817k in Santa Rosa

05metro size

849k

vs 482k in Santa Rosa

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Santa Rosa has the edge here, logging 254 pleasant days a year.

A real upgrade on things to do: 41.0× Santa Rosa's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

3% lower than Santa Rosa

vs 69/100 in Santa Rosa

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

·walk score®

92/100

6% lower than Santa Rosa

vs 98/100 in Santa Rosa

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

400% more than Santa Rosa

vs 4 nonstops in Santa Rosa

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