$100k salary, packing up from Olympia

change
Myrtle Beach, SC cityscape

if you left olympia

Myrtle Beach

sc · metro 397k

photo: Curtis Adams / pexels

a dispatch from

myrtle beach

SC

33.69°N

78.88°W

Myrtle Beach is the Grand Strand's anchor, with 60 miles of beach, more than 80 mini golf courses (it might be the mini golf capital of America), and a boardwalk packed with arcades and pancake houses. Calabash-style fried seafood is a thing. It's a family beach town, full stop, with affordable oceanfront and easy access to Charleston a few hours south.

metro397k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$277

the monthly cost of moving past Olympia

Myrtle Beach costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the myrtle beach entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,727/mo

13% cheaper than Olympia(vs $1,991/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Olympia

vs 0% in Olympia

03after rent

$6,065/mo

$277 less than Olympia

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

04a house here

$361k

32% cheaper than Olympia

vs $533k in Olympia

05metro size

397k

vs 299k in Olympia

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in myrtle beach.

Olympia only manages 182 of those.

·outdoorscore

58/100

28% lower than Olympia

vs 80/100 in Olympia

Closest outdoor draw: Huntington Beach State Park, 15.2 mi.

·walk score®

55/100

37% lower than Olympia

vs 88/100 in Olympia

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

23

74% fewer than Olympia

vs 90 nonstops in Olympia

04 · see also

neighbors of myrtle beach on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

sarasota

$147/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

pensacola

$516/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

wilmington

$218/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare myrtle beach with:

SarasotaPensacolaWilmington