Portland, OR vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Portland to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $94,737 in Charleston, SC (−$5,263).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($325 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $24,288 | +$2,724 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,797 | −$443 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,465 | −$215 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,848 | +$144 |
| Insurance | $900 | $2,000 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $10,552 | −$3,830 |
| Total | $47,470 | $46,950 | −$520 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $218 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |