Moving to Charleston, SC: The Good and the Bad

As the largest city in the state of South Carolina, Charleston has a rich history, is growing rapidly, and has a bright future ahead. If you're thinking about moving to Charleston, SC, I've got a local's perspective on the good and bad of moving to this amazing Lowcountry city.

Charleston, South Carolina was founded in 1670 as Charles Town on the west bank of the Ashley River, where Charles Towne Landing is now located. But relocated just 10 years later to its present location on its iconic peninsula. A big part of Charleston's appeal is its architecture and cobblestone streets that remain in many areas of downtown.

If you haven't done so already, it's a great idea to plan a visit to the area so you can explore and experience a lot of the things I mention in this article.

The Good

Southern Charm

photo by Chris F

Charleston is regularly featured in magazines and wins awards for being one of the best places to visit in the country and it's easy to understand why. As I mentioned before, the colorful downtown Charleston area is packed with amazing architecture dating back to its founding and the sidestreets endlessly reveal another amazing discovery after another.

The huge live oaks draped with Spanish moss and rustling palmetto trees are a beautiful backdrop for the salty breezes off Charleston Harbor and clop-clop of the horse-drawn carriages as you stroll around the sidewalks. And hip neighborhoods like Harleston Village and Wagener Terrace prove to be great places to live and raise a family.

Amazing Culinary Scene

photo by Kim Daniels

Everything from the freshest seafood to award-winning fine dining, Charleston's food scene has been top-notch for a very long time and I doubt it will change anytime soon!

While one of our most famous chefs, Sean Brock relocated from South Carolina to Tennessee a few years ago, it only means it's allowed so many deserving culinary maestros to shine that much brighter!

If you're a foodie, you can guarantee to be spoiled with the amazing number of dining options just in the immediate city itself. Don't even get me started about all the other options as you venture further out into the surrounding area.

Strong job market

photo by John Macarthur

From an employment standpoint, Charleston's nickname of "Silicon Harbor" makes sense with its volume of tech-centric companies and startups that have set up shop in the area. And while there are definitely small business opportunities available, the area's largest employers are the bigger companies like Mercedes-Benz, Boeing, Joint-Base Charleston, Volvo, and of course MUSC (the Medical University of South Carolina)

Charleston's weather

October is typically the penultimate month for beautiful weather in the Holy City, and you can ask any local for confirmation. However, there are about 9 months out of the year that we enjoy some pretty outstanding weather here in Charleston. The mild temperature for the majority of the year makes this area a popular place for almost year-round outdoor activities.

About those summer months? Well, we'll talk about those in just a second...

Charleston's pace of life

If you're used to the hustle and bustle of the "Big City" and are looking for a slower pace of life, Charleston and indeed the Lowcountry as a whole is the best place to be. Folks here like to leave work at work and put a premium on their personal time.

You can expect things to take a bit longer than you're used to, but it's all part of that Lowcountry pace.

Beaches

photo by Kelsey Schisler

Charleston is a coastal city and its beautiful beaches and the beaches of the surrounding towns are some of the best in the world. Spots in Folly Beach, Kiawah Island, Sullivans Island, and Isle of Palms offer plenty to choose from depending on your preferences.

Living in Charleston, you're literally minutes away from the water no matter where you are. So, it's incredibly easy (and addicting) to spend a day at the beach enjoying the sound of the waves and reading a good book or dropping by on the way home from work for a stroll along the beach to decompress.

THE BAD

Traffic

photo by Eben Kassaye

Charleston is a peninsula and a lot of the surrounding areas are islands which means the bridges needed to access those places can create bottlenecks during high-traffic times. It becomes even more challenging if there's an accident along those routes.

There's been talk of extending 526 into Johns Island to address some of the traffic concerns but nothing has quite materialized yet.

Home Prices are higher than people expect

While property taxes in Charleston are typically lower than the national average, they are susceptible to some variables you should be aware of depending on where you're considering buying a home. The average home cost has risen in recent years to well over $400,000.

Because we're in a coastal area, you'll also need to consider where the home is located as home insurance rates for flood coverage can vary widely depending on where the property is located here. Your home could actually fall in a different flood plain than your neighbor, so it's important to be aware.

Wages

The cost of living rating in Charleston is currently 109.8 which means it's almost 10% more expensive to live here than the national average. Utilities here are 18% above the national average and housing is about 1% above the national average with median home prices coming in at around $401,979.

Groceries and public transportation fall below the national average at -6% and -5% respectively.

According to ziprecruiter.com, salary ranges in Charleston are between $40,825 to $70,361 but that all depends on your occupation. This all combines to make earning a living wage in the area a bit more difficult depending on what career you're in.

However, for most folks, it's a balance between the quality of life and how much money you need to make that will drive your decision to move here!

Bugs

photo by Yohan Marion

And one final note, if you're at all squeamish about nature then you might have some decisions to make. The Lowcountry is an outdoor lover's paradise, but those outdoors are also home to lots and lots of nature. From plants to animals and yes, to bugs.

With our marshes, proximity to water, and humidity levels, mosquitoes, and palmetto bugs are a regular feature here in the Lowcountry and just about every southern city. Most of us simply prepare with bug spray and sit by a fire pit with a cold beverage to ward off the mosquitoes and make sure our house seals are snug to keep those palmetto bugs out there with the palmettos.

For almost everyone, moving to Charleston still has more pros than cons

For those that do move to Charleston, and for those that have been here all their lives the Holy City is a magical place where coastal living is the ideal way of life. Its quirks are charming and its qualities are cherished here and it's not hard to see why folks that come here to visit sometimes never leave.

Have you been thinking about moving to the Lowcountry? Get started by looking at the homes for sale in Charleston South Carolina and feel free to get in touch with any questions I didn't answer here.

www.CharlestonPalmettoHomes.com  |  Ashley.Melton@AgentOwned.com  |  843-670-2333