01 · the cities
Asheville
Asheville is what happens when a mountain town and an art school have a baby and raise it on craft beer. Downtown packs more breweries per capita than almost anywhere in America, plus buskers on every corner and Art Deco buildings the Depression accidentally preserved (the city went broke before it could tear them down). The Biltmore, America's largest private home, looms on the edge of town like a stone-carved flex. Remote workers keep showing up, which is how you know.
full dispatch→Spartanburg
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.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,738/mo
$1,434/mo
$304/mo less than Asheville (21%)
Median home price
Median home price
$430k
$277k
$153k less than Asheville
State income tax
State income tax
4.5%
6.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,220/mo
$6,358/mo
Spartanburg has $138/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
201 days
191 days
10 fewer than Asheville
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
16 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
13 days
4 days
days below 20°F per year
Spartanburg has 16 more days above 95°F each year than Asheville. Asheville drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than Spartanburg.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
66 / 100
68 / 100
2.0 pts ahead of Asheville
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
8 routes
20 routes
12 more direct routes than Asheville
Metro size
Metro size
417k metro
383k metro
Asheville has 2.3x more events per month than Spartanburg.
the verdict
3
Asheville
categories won
6
Spartanburg
categories won
Spartanburg wins on money and lifestyle. Asheville has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Asheville salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works