Quality of life in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina, is among the top cities with a free business environment. Our data reflects that this city has a good ranking in healthcare and environmental quality.
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Charleston, South Carolina, is among the top cities with a free business environment. Our data reflects that this city has a good ranking in healthcare and environmental quality.
Large apartment | $1900.00 |
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Medium apartment | $1600.00 |
Rent index [score] | 0.46 |
Small apartment | $1300.00 |
5km taxi ride | $7.30 |
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A Cappuccino | $4.10 |
A beer | $2.10 |
A kilogram of Apples | $5.90 |
Bread | $1.20 |
Inflation [score] | 0.36 |
Lunch | $12.00 |
Monthly fitness club membership | $54.00 |
Monthly public transport | $55.00 |
Movie ticket | $10.00 |
Price of a meal at a restaurant | $72.59 |
Average monthly increase in number of startups | 5 |
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Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.41 |
Coworking spaces [score] | 0.39 |
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 29 |
Meetups [score] | 0.22 |
Meetups groups | 48 |
Meetups members | 14083 |
Number of investors | 30 |
Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 332 |
Number of upcoming meetup events | 8 |
Startup climate scene [score] | 0.51 |
Startup events | 109 |
Startup events [score] | 0.68 |
Startups [score] | 0.58 |
Total number of startups | 153 |
Venture capital [score] | 0.20 |
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Airport hub | 20 |
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Airport hub [score] | 0.17 |
Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.11 |
Human city page | http://cities.human.co/details/United_States/Charleston |
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Traffic handling [score] | 0.62 |
Business freedom | 84.70 |
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Business freedom [score] | 0.86 |
Freedom from corruption | 74.00 |
Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.79 |
Lack of labor restrictions | 91.40 |
Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 1.00 |
Time to open a business | 5.60 |
Time to open a business [score] | 0.95 |
Crime rate [score] | 0.61 |
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Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 16 |
Guns per 100 residents | 108 |
Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.58 |
Lack of guns [score] | 0.41 |
Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.49 |
Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.99 |
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Healthcare quality [score] | 0.93 |
Life expectancy (years) | 79.28 |
Life expectancy [score] | 0.76 |
Country mean scores in PISA math test | 478.04 |
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Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 497.58 |
Country mean scores in PISA science test | 497.41 |
PISA math ranking (high school) | 30 |
PISA ranking | 24 |
PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.72 |
PISA reading (high school) | 16 |
PISA science (high school) | 19 |
Percent of happy students | 0.77 |
Percent of low performers in PISA math test | 0.26 |
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test | 0.17 |
Percent of low performers in PISA science test | 0.18 |
Percent of top performers in PISA math test | 0.09 |
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test | 0.08 |
Percent of top performers in PISA science test | 0.07 |
Air quality [score] | 0.94 |
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Cleanliness [score] | 0.66 |
Drinking water quality [score] | 0.49 |
Urban greenery [score] | 0.82 |
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 1.00 |
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Currency for urban area | USD |
GDP growth rate | 0.02 |
GDP growth rate [score] | 0.43 |
GDP per capita | $54596.65 |
GDP per capita [score] | 0.87 |
Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.54 |
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Income tax level [score] | 0.27 |
Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.44 |
Time overhead to file company taxes | 175 |
VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.09 |
Download speed (Mbps) | 72.18 |
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Internet access (download) [score] | 0.74 |
Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.47 |
Upload speed (Mbps) | 11.05 |
Art galleries | 100 |
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Art galleries [score] | 0.60 |
Cinemas | 64 |
Cinemas [score] | 0.49 |
Comedy clubs | 20 |
Comedy clubs [score] | 0.51 |
Concert venues | 86 |
Concerts [score] | 0.56 |
Historical sites | 90 |
Historical sites [score] | 0.72 |
Museums | 54 |
Museums [score] | 0.60 |
Performing art venues | 99 |
Performing arts [score] | 0.60 |
Sport venues | 33 |
Sports [score] | 0.59 |
Zoos | 10 |
Zoos [score] | 0.62 |
LGBT Equality Index | 70.00 |
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LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.71 |
LGBT adoption rights | Ambiguous |
LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
LGBT blood donation regulations | ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral) |
LGBT conversion therapy regulations | Ambiguous |
LGBT discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, but requires surgery |
LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
LGBT marriage rights | ✔ Legal |
Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.45 |
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.10 |
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Median peak in meters | 8.50 |
Seaside access | 1.00 |
Urban area elevation (meters) | 17.00 |
Water access [score] | 0.90 |
Costs of living in Charleston are in the most expensive 10 percent of all 248 Teleport cities and the 11th most expensive in the United States. Average living expenses are significantly higher compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Moving to Charleston will very likely increase your daily costs of living. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
$54 | |
$10 | |
$47 | |
$55 | |
$12 |
Software Engineer salaries in Charleston are very high. For this job type, Charleston ranks 5th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Charleston.
The overall crime rate puts Charleston in position 123 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Legal
Legal
But Requires Surgery
No Protections
Legal
Ambiguous
Charleston is the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline and is located on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers. Charleston had an estimated population of 134,385 in 2016. The estimated population of the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was 761,155 residents in 2016, the third-largest in the state and the 78th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.
Charleston was founded in 1670 as Charles Town, honoring King Charles II of England. Its initial location at Albemarle Point on the west bank of the Ashley River (now Charles Towne Landing) was abandoned in 1680 for its present site, which became the fifth-largest city in North America within ten years. Despite its size, it remained unincorporated throughout the colonial period; its government was handled directly by a colonial legislature and a governor sent by London. Election districts were organized according to Anglican parishes, and some social services were managed by Anglican wardens and vestries. Charleston adopted its present spelling with its incorporation as a city in 1783 at the close of the Revolutionary War. Population growth in the interior of South Carolina influenced the removal of the state government to Columbia in 1788, but the port city remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census. Historians estimate that "nearly half of all Africans brought to America arrived in Charleston", most at Gadsden's Wharf. The only major antebellum American city to have a majority-enslaved population, Charleston was controlled by an oligarchy of white planters and merchants who successfully forced the federal government to revise its 1828 and 1832 tariffs during the Nullification Crisis and launched the Civil War in 1861 by seizing the Arsenal, Castle Pinckney, and Fort Sumter from their federal garrisons.
Known for its rich history, well-preserved architecture, distinguished restaurants, and hospitable people, Charleston is a popular tourist destination. It has received numerous accolades, including "America's Most Friendly [City]" by Travel + Leisure in 2011 and in 2013 and 2014 by Condé Nast Traveler, and also "the most polite and hospitable city in America" by Southern Living magazine. In 2016, Charleston was ranked the "World's Best City" by Travel + Leisure.
Read moreEvery city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
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