Minneapolis, MN vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Minneapolis to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis, MN, you'd need about $96,928 in Charleston, SC (−$3,072).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($219 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $24,288 | +$3,636 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,797 | −$430 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,465 | +$90 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,848 | +$72 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,000 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $10,552 | −$5,793 |
| Total | $49,575 | $46,950 | −$2,625 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $218 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.05 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $56 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $97 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 36 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 51.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 1.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 62% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |