on $100k a year, leaving Orlando
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 Orlando ran you
Barely costlier than Orlando. If Columbia pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
a quick ledger.
$1,551/mo
20% cheaper than Orlando(vs $1,937/mo)
6.5%
$542/mo more in state tax than Orlando
vs 0% in Orlando
$6,241/mo
$155 less than Orlando
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$255k
37% cheaper than Orlando
vs $402k in Orlando
857k
vs 2.8M in Orlando
field notes, weather & such.
189
pleasant days a year, in columbia.
Orlando gets 216 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Hot stretches show up, though: 27 days above 95° here, 10 in Orlando.
But the calendar thins out: Orlando stays 8.2× busier.
55/100
11% lower than Orlando
vs 62/100 in Orlando
Closest outdoor draw: Congaree National Park, 29.1 mi.
85/100
12% lower than Orlando
vs 97/100 in Orlando
10
93% fewer than Orlando
vs 146 nonstops in Orlando
same energy as columbia, different zip code:
compare columbia with:
