$100k salary, packing up from Salem

change
Myrtle Beach, SC cityscape

if you left salem

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

$103

below Salem's monthly cost

Myrtle Beach and Salem land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the myrtle beach entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,727/mo

5% more expensive than Salem(vs $1,642/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$187/mo less in state tax than Salem

vs 8.75% in Salem

03after rent

$6,065/mo

$103 more than Salem

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

04a house here

$361k

20% cheaper than Salem

vs $452k in Salem

05metro size

397k

vs 437k in Salem

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in myrtle beach.

Salem keeps to 201 pleasant days a year.

A month here packs 23.0× the events of Salem.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

58/100

16% lower than Salem

vs 69/100 in Salem

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

·walk score®

55/100

37% lower than Salem

vs 88/100 in Salem

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

23

0% fewer than Salem

vs 0 nonstops in Salem

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as myrtle beach:

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