Charleston, SC vs Los Angeles, CA
Moving from Charleston to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($435,877 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.
Charleston vs Los Angeles 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 $118,531 in Los Angeles, CA (+$18,531).
Livability — Charleston, SC: 60 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,295 sqft in Charleston vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($218 vs $646 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, SC | Los Angeles, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,288 | $34,908 | +$10,620 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $5,354 | +$557 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $5,125 | +$1,660 |
| Utilities | $4,620 | $7,320 | +$2,700 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,127 | $8,826 | +$699 |
| Total | $45,477 | $61,713 | +$16,236 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Charleston, SC: 8.1% · Los Angeles, CA: 8.8% (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 | Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.1 | 114.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.07% | 6.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.0% | -1.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 80 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.75 | $6.53 |
| Median home price | $435,877 | $968,608 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 10.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.9% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $218 | $646 |
| Median rent | $2,024 | $2,909 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 8.9% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | 0.69% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.2 yrs | 79.9 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,200 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 9.8% | 8.9% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 78 | 81 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | 0.65% |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 22 | 21 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 95% | 72% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 75.5% | 67.1% |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 96.5 — Relatively High | 100.0 — Very High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 4.85 |
| Natural gas / mo | $56 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $97 | $138 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 530 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 45 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 51.0 | 14.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 73% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |
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