New York, NY vs Charleston, SC
Moving from New York to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($727,625 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
New York vs Charleston 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 New York, NY, you'd need about $72,970 in Charleston, SC (−$27,030).
Livability — New York, NY: 43 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,099 sqft in New York vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($455 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New York, NY | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $42,036 | $24,288 | −$17,748 |
| Groceries | $5,415 | $4,797 | −$617 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,465 | −$430 |
| Utilities | $6,312 | $4,620 | −$1,692 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $12,290 | $8,127 | −$4,163 |
| Total | $70,127 | $45,477 | −$24,650 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — New York, NY: 12.3% · Charleston, SC: 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 | New York, NY | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.6 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.55% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -1.4% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 52 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.41 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $727,625 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.8× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $455 | $218 |
| Median rent | $3,503 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 15.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.74% | 0.49% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.3 yrs | 77.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,500 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 6.9% | 9.8% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 84 | 78 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 12 | 22 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 0 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 88% | 95% |
| Avg commute (min) | 36 | 27 |
| Commute by driving alone | 45.5% | 75.5% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 96.8 — Relatively High | 96.5 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.05 |
| Natural gas / mo | $98 | $56 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $87 | $97 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 350 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 36 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 49.5 | 51.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 29.8 | 1.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 62% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in New York or Charleston
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.