$100k a year, no longer in San Diego

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Spartanburg, SC cityscape

if you left san diego

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

$1,690

less monthly outlay than San Diego

Spartanburg sits well below San Diego on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
landable, recorded on the spartanburg entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

50% cheaper than San Diego(vs $2,890/mo)

02state income tax

6.5%

$233/mo less in state tax than San Diego

vs 9.3% in San Diego

03after rent

$6,358/mo

$1,690 more than San Diego

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

04a house here

$277k

73% cheaper than San Diego

vs $1010k in San Diego

05metro size

383k

vs 3.3M in San Diego

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

191

pleasant days a year, in spartanburg.

San Diego has the edge here, logging 332 pleasant days a year.

But the calendar thins out: San Diego stays 11.6× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

68/100

9% lower than San Diego

vs 75/100 in San Diego

Closest outdoor draw: Croft State Park, 5 mi.

·walk score®

77/100

22% lower than San Diego

vs 99/100 in San Diego

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

64% fewer than San Diego

vs 55 nonstops in San Diego

04 · see also

same energy as spartanburg, different zip code:

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