Home prices in Charleston run 4% above the national median: $435,000 versus $420,000. Relative to the $68,000 median household income here, the price-to-income ratio comes out to 6.4x.
Charleston's 0.55% property tax rate runs below the 1.1% national average. That's $199/month on the median home here, not a rounding error against the mortgage payment.
Between the $2,636/month mortgage payment and South Carolina's state income tax, your real housing cost calculation needs your after-tax number, not your gross salary.
Beyond housing, Charleston's cost of living index sits at 108 (national average = 100), running above the national baseline for groceries, transportation, and everyday services.
Charleston's median home price runs 71% higher than nearby Columbia: $255,000 there versus $435,000 here.