Cost of Living in North Charleston
North Charleston's cost of living runs meaningfully below Mount Pleasant's across every measure sourced this pass -- a real, structural affordability gap, not a temporary dip, anchored by the city's genuinely different institutional economy.
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Learn moreHousing: a real, structural discount to Mount Pleasant
Zillow's July 2026 average home value cited $312,277 (down 1.7% YoY); US News cited a median home value of $318,906; a dated February 2025 Redfin figure cited $320,000. Every reading sits well below Mount Pleasant's $767,550-$883,519 range built in this same dataset.
Rent shows a real cross-source gap too
RentCafe's 2026 figures cite a $1,517/month average across all units (down 1.22% YoY), while Zillow separately cited a meaningfully higher $1,850/month average -- both disclosed rather than reconciled. Park Circle, one of the city's more in-demand neighborhoods, carries a median rent of $2,525 -- well above the citywide figure, illustrating real neighborhood-level variance.
South Carolina's real income tax and North Charleston's 9% combined sales tax
South Carolina applies a real, two-bracket income tax under Act 110 (1.99%/5.21%) -- not a no-income-tax state. North Charleston's combined sales tax runs 9.0% (6% state, 1% city, 2% special district).
Key takeaways
- North Charleston's home price ($312,277-$320,000 depending on source) runs meaningfully below Mount Pleasant's $767,550-$883,519 range in this same dataset.
- Rent shows a real, disclosed cross-source gap ($1,517 RentCafe vs. $1,850 Zillow); Park Circle specifically runs well above the citywide average at $2,525.
- South Carolina's real 1.99%/5.21% two-bracket income tax applies; North Charleston's combined sales tax is 9.0%.
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