$100k a year, no longer in Spokane

change
Charleston, SC cityscape

if you left spokane

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

in our guides

#5

of 10

Best mid-sized US cities

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for young professionals

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best affordable cities to live car-free

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities for couples

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for live music and arts

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for mild four-season weather

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities to live in the South

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best affordable coastal cities

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities on the East Coast

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities to live in the Southeast

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in the Carolinas

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best warm affordable coastal cities

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities to live in your 30s

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,008

the monthly cost of moving past Spokane

Charleston costs noticeably more than Spokane. You'd be paying for Charleston itself, not for breathing room around it.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

31% more expensive than Spokane(vs $1,520/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Spokane

vs 0% in Spokane

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$1,008 less than Spokane

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

04a house here

$432k

3% more expensive than Spokane

vs $420k in Spokane

05metro size

849k

vs 600k in Spokane

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

Spokane only manages 164 of those.

Things to do run about even with Spokane.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

17% lower than Spokane

vs 81/100 in Spokane

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

·walk score®

92/100

1% higher than Spokane

vs 91/100 in Spokane

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

100% more than Spokane

vs 10 nonstops in Spokane

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