Atlanta, GA vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Atlanta to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta 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 Atlanta, GA, you'd need about $100,614 in Charleston, SC (+$614).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($187 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $24,288 | +$2,208 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,797 | −$129 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,465 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,848 | +$192 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $2,000 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $10,552 | +$19 |
| Total | $44,810 | $46,950 | +$2,140 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $218 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |