Living in Charleston & the Lowcountry

The Charleston metro anchors South Carolina's Lowcountry, spanning from the historic peninsula -- governed by the nation's first historic preservation ordinance (1931) -- through affluent Mount Pleasant, institutional North Charleston (Joint Base Charleston, Boeing's 787 plant), fast-growing master-planned Summerville and Daniel Island, and out to barrier-island Kiawah Island and Folly Beach, with rural Walterboro folded in as its inland, ACE Basin-gateway southern edge. Charleston's tourism economy hit record highs in 2025 ($14.3-14.35 billion economic impact) while a genuinely diversifying aerospace/defense base expands alongside it -- Boeing South Carolina's $1 billion North Charleston expansion and Joint Base Charleston's estimated $11 billion annual regional impact. Housing spans an enormous range within this one region, from Moncks Corner's currently-cooling $361,000 median to Daniel Island's $1,624,435 median and Kiawah Island's ultra-high-end, low-transaction-volume luxury market. Every coastal member place shares real hurricane and flood exposure -- Hurricane Hugo's 1989 Category 4 landfall at Sullivan's Island remains this region's shared benchmark storm -- though the degree of exposure varies meaningfully by elevation and distance from open water, a real, disclosed distinction rather than one uniform coastal-risk label.

Explore Charleston & the Lowcountry in depth

Exploring the idea of moving?

We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.

Learn more

Places we've researched in Charleston & the Lowcountry

Planning a move?

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.

Talk to a local expert
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05. Independent research; see individual place pages for metric-level source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.