Columbus, OH vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Columbus to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Columbus 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 Columbus, OH, you'd need about $106,835 in Charleston, SC (+$6,835).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($202 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $24,288 | +$6,000 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,797 | +$91 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,465 | +$440 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,848 | −$252 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,000 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $10,552 | +$841 |
| Total | $39,130 | $46,950 | +$7,820 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $218 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |