on $100k a year, leaving Lexington
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
more each month than Lexington ran you
You'd pay for Columbia. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
a quick ledger.
$1,551/mo
4% more expensive than Lexington(vs $1,488/mo)
6.5%
$167/mo more in state tax than Lexington
vs 4.5% in Lexington
$6,241/mo
$229 less than Lexington
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$255k
21% cheaper than Lexington
vs $324k in Lexington
857k
vs 520k in Lexington
field notes, weather & such.
189
pleasant days a year, in columbia.
Lexington only manages 171 of those. Summer is real but not punishing: 27 days top 95° vs Lexington's 1.
But the calendar thins out: Lexington stays 2.2× busier.
55/100
8% lower than Lexington
vs 60/100 in Lexington
Closest outdoor draw: Congaree National Park, 29.1 mi.
85/100
3% lower than Lexington
vs 88/100 in Lexington
10
23% fewer than Lexington
vs 13 nonstops in Lexington
cities that play in columbia's register:
compare columbia with:
