Phoenix, AZ vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Phoenix to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $96,582 in Charleston, SC (−$3,418).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($242 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $24,288 | +$3,384 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,797 | −$122 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,465 | −$495 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,848 | +$180 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,000 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $10,552 | +$3,272 |
| Total | $40,531 | $46,950 | +$6,419 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $218 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.05 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $56 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $97 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 36 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 51.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 62% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |