Charleston, South Carolina
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Charleston.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Charleston compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 152,014City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $90,038Incorporated place (ACS)15% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 138ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)38% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $469,100City limits (ACS)55% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,632City limits (ACS)21% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.0%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 24 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 4011% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 373.2annualized per 100k · citywide38% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2259.6annualized per 100k · citywide27% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 86°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 46°F12.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 44.3 in35% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 263Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Charleston with another city
Lowcountry humidity and inland Piedmont growth corridors both pull movers. Expect summer highs near 86°F and winter lows around 46°F. Average one-way commute time is about 24 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 40/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 3.0% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. Violent-offense rates around 373.2 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Relocators eyeing Charleston, South Carolina will find roughly 152,014 residents within city limits. With median income around $90,038 and a cost index of 138, the market reads above the national housing-cost baseline. Budget for median rents around $1,632 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Charleston is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Charleston with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Charleston city, 1600000US4513330)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN450190000000003 (Charleston County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013782 CHARLESTON CITY)
Last updated 2026-07-28
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