on $100k a year, leaving Charlotte
changea dispatch from
columbia
SC
34.00°N
81.03°W
Columbia is the South Carolina capital, USC Gamecock country, and home to one of the largest urban rivers (the Congaree) flowing right past downtown. The Saluda River outside town is a tubing destination locals swear by, and Congaree National Park's old-growth cypress is a 30-minute drive. The state museum is a sleeper good time. Slower-paced than Charleston, less touristy.
in our guides
the verdict
under Charlotte, every month
Columbia and Charlotte land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,551/mo
10% cheaper than Charlotte(vs $1,728/mo)
6.5%
$167/mo more in state tax than Charlotte
vs 4.5% in Charlotte
$6,241/mo
$11 more than Charlotte
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$255k
35% cheaper than Charlotte
vs $391k in Charlotte
857k
vs 2.8M in Charlotte
field notes, weather & such.
189
pleasant days a year, in columbia.
Charlotte gets 200 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Hot stretches show up, though: 27 days above 95° here, 7 in Charlotte.
But the calendar thins out: Charlotte stays 5.9× busier.
55/100
8% higher than Charlotte
vs 51/100 in Charlotte
Closest outdoor draw: Congaree National Park, 29.1 mi.
85/100
10% lower than Charlotte
vs 94/100 in Charlotte
10
93% fewer than Charlotte
vs 141 nonstops in Charlotte
compare columbia with:
