Side by side

Charleston vs Raleigh

Raleigh wins on more metrics — 1–5 on the 8 core metrics we track. Detail below.

Metric

Charleston

Raleigh

Cost of living

B vs A: -12%

60✓

Rent · 1BR center

B vs A: -18%

$1,700

$1,400✓

Effective tax (remote)

B vs A: ≈ same

23%

Healthcare

B vs A: +9%

76✓

Safety

B vs A: +6%

72✓

Internet

B vs A: +39%

180

250✓

Climate

B vs A: ≈ same

Freedom

B vs A: -5%

86✓

Historic coastal beauty with a serious food scene. Hot, humid, and rising sea levels are real planning factors.

Research Triangle anchor with affordable suburbs, strong public schools, and a fast-growing biotech and tech base.