on $100k a year, leaving New Orleans
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 New Orleans ran you
Columbia costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
a quick ledger.
$1,551/mo
4% cheaper than New Orleans(vs $1,612/mo)
6.5%
$292/mo more in state tax than New Orleans
vs 3% in New Orleans
$6,241/mo
$230 less than New Orleans
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$255k
2% cheaper than New Orleans
vs $259k in New Orleans
857k
vs 962k in New Orleans
field notes, weather & such.
189
pleasant days a year, in columbia.
New Orleans has the edge here, logging 235 pleasant days a year. Summer is real but not punishing: 27 days top 95° vs New Orleans's 3.
80% fewer events than New Orleans. The pace eases up.
55/100
0% lower than New Orleans
vs 55/100 in New Orleans
Closest outdoor draw: Congaree National Park, 29.1 mi.
85/100
13% lower than New Orleans
vs 98/100 in New Orleans
10
74% fewer than New Orleans
vs 39 nonstops in New Orleans
neighbors of columbia on the map of tradeoffs:
compare columbia with:
