Tampa, FL vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Tampa to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($360,738 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Tampa 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 Tampa, FL, you'd need about $98,658 in Charleston, SC (−$1,342).
Livability — Tampa, FL: 65 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,564 sqft in Tampa vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($195 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tampa, FL | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,216 | $24,288 | +$72 |
| Groceries | $4,949 | $4,797 | −$151 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,465 | −$1,335 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,848 | +$192 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $2,000 | −$2,200 |
| Taxes | $4,642 | $10,552 | +$5,910 |
| Total | $44,463 | $46,950 | +$2,488 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tampa, FL | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.92% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.3% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $360,738 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.4% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $218 |
| Median rent | $2,018 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |