on $100k a year, leaving St. Louis

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Charleston, SC cityscape

next stop after st. louis

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

$726

pricier each month than St. Louis

Charleston costs more than St. Louis, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
landable, recorded on the charleston entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,987/mo

41% more expensive than St. Louis(vs $1,411/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$150/mo more in state tax than St. Louis

vs 4.7% in St. Louis

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$726 less than St. Louis

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

04a house here

$432k

56% more expensive than St. Louis

vs $277k in St. Louis

05metro size

849k

vs 2.8M in St. Louis

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

212

pleasant days a year, in charleston.

St. Louis only logs 174 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: St. Louis stays 2.0× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

67/100

1% lower than St. Louis

vs 68/100 in St. Louis

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

·walk score®

92/100

6% higher than St. Louis

vs 87/100 in St. Louis

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

67% fewer than St. Louis

vs 60 nonstops in St. Louis

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