$100k salary, packing up from Sarasota

change
Myrtle Beach, SC cityscape

swapping out of sarasota

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

$147

the monthly premium over Sarasota

Barely costlier than Sarasota. If Myrtle Beach pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
landable, recorded on the myrtle beach entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,727/mo

19% cheaper than Sarasota(vs $2,121/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Sarasota

vs 0% in Sarasota

03after rent

$6,065/mo

$147 less than Sarasota

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

04a house here

$361k

15% cheaper than Sarasota

vs $423k in Sarasota

05metro size

397k

vs 262k in Sarasota

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in myrtle beach.

Sarasota only logs 249 pleasant days.

7.7× the events of Sarasota, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

58/100

2% lower than Sarasota

vs 59/100 in Sarasota

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

·walk score®

55/100

43% lower than Sarasota

vs 96/100 in Sarasota

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

23

283% more than Sarasota

vs 6 nonstops in Sarasota

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as myrtle beach:

see also

pensacola

$516/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

wilmington

$218/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

new orleans

$406/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare myrtle beach with:

PensacolaWilmingtonNew Orleans