Charleston, SC vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Charleston to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($435,877 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Charleston vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charleston, SC, you'd need about $103,819 in Chicago, IL (+$3,819).
Livability — Charleston, SC: 60 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,295 sqft in Charleston vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($218 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, SC | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,288 | $27,192 | +$2,904 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $5,215 | +$418 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,550 | +$85 |
| Utilities | $4,620 | $4,800 | +$180 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,127 | $8,051 | −$76 |
| Total | $45,477 | $48,988 | +$3,511 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Charleston, SC: 8.1% · Chicago, IL: 8.1% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Charleston, SC | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.1 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.07% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.0% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.75 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $435,877 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.9% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $218 | $208 |
| Median rent | $2,024 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 8.9% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.2 yrs | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 9.8% | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 78 | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 22 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 95% | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 75.5% | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 96.5 — Relatively High | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $56 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $97 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 530 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 51.0 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 1.0 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |
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