same $100k income, fresh start from Houston

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Spartanburg, SC cityscape

if you left houston

Spartanburg

sc · metro 383k

photo: Jenny Gregg / pexels

a dispatch from

spartanburg

SC

34.95°N

81.93°W

Spartanburg is the Upstate of South Carolina, with rolling foothills, peach orchards (yes, South Carolina actually grows more peaches than Georgia in some years), and the largest BMW manufacturing plant in the world just outside town. The downtown's been revitalizing with breweries and restaurants. Wofford and Converse keep college energy in town. The Blue Ridge is right there.

metro383k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$365

pricier each month than Houston

Spartanburg runs a little pricier than Houston. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the spartanburg entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

11% cheaper than Houston(vs $1,610/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$542/mo more in state tax than Houston

vs 0% in Houston

03after rent

$6,358/mo

$365 less than Houston

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

04a house here

$277k

11% cheaper than Houston

vs $311k in Houston

05metro size

383k

vs 7.5M in Houston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

191

pleasant days a year, in spartanburg.

Houston barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.

But the calendar thins out: Houston stays 14.1× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

68/100

24% higher than Houston

vs 55/100 in Houston

Closest outdoor draw: Croft State Park, 5 mi.

·walk score®

77/100

0% lower than Houston

vs 77/100 in Houston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

89% fewer than Houston

vs 176 nonstops in Houston

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as spartanburg:

see also

greenville

better weather

turn the page

see also

hickory

$166/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

richmond

similar overall lifestyle

turn the page

compare spartanburg with:

GreenvilleHickoryRichmond