Housing and tax tradeoff: Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas comes out ahead here on rent burden and tax burden. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.
New Here?
Compare Charleston and 2 other shortlist cities on cost, climate, safety, and daily life
The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.
CharlestonHoustonNew Orleans
What Stands Out
A quick read on this comparison
Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.
Biggest tradeoff: Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on climate comfort, weaker on daily convenience.
Potential dealbreaker: New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana needs a closer look before you get too attached, especially on rent burden.
Comparison Matrix
| City | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Route | |||
| General Info | |||
| Population | 132,609 | 2,314,157 | 362,701 |
| Population Density | N/A | 3.6k /sq mi | 2.2k /sq mi |
| Center Elevation | 20 ft(6 m) | 39 ft(12 m) | 0 ft(0 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | |||
| Median Home | $572,367 | $260,121 | $236,241 |
| Median Rent | $2,072 | $1,528 | $1,627 |
| Median Income | $83,891 | $60,440 | $51,116 |
| Rent Burden | 30% | 30% | 38% |
| Climate & Risks | |||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 322 days/yr | 303 days/yr | 319 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 74°F | 79°F | 77°F |
| Avg. Low | 61°F | 63°F | 65°F |
| Comfort Score | 85/100Excellent | 69/100Good | 82/100Great |
| Temp Swing | 28°F | 30°F | 27°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 52"(132 cm) | 76"(193 cm) | 70"(178 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 0"(0 cm) | 0"(0 cm) | 0"(0 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 28 days > 100 | Typical: 512024 modeled avg · 51 days > 100 | Typical: 502024 modeled avg · 57 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | |||
| Transit Score | 35 | 88 | 84 |
| Safety Score | 69 / 100 | 46 / 100 | 38 / 100 |
| School Rating | 6.1/10 | 8.1/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | N/A | minimalMinimal Risk | moderateModerate Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | N/A | minimalMinimal | minimalMinimal |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 39%Cable: 93% | Fiber: 61%Cable: 98% | Fiber: 31%Cable: 100% |
| Demographics | |||
| Median Age | 36.3 years | 33.9 years | 37.9 years |
| College Educated | 57% | 35% | 41% |
| Remote Workers | 15% | 10% | 11% |
| Nature Access | |||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | Finding... | Finding... |
| Scouting & Local Help | |||
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move. | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Charleston. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Houston. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in New Orleans. One featured slot per city |
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