North Charleston's median home price sits at $310,000, 26% below the $420,000 national median. On a $58,000 median household income, that puts the price-to-income ratio at 5.3x, or 5.3 years of gross pay for the purchase price alone.
At a 0.54% effective rate, North Charleston property taxes add $140 to the monthly payment on the median home, $1,674 a year in total.
Between the $1,876/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, North Charleston's cost of living index sits at 95 (national average = 100), running below the national baseline for groceries, transportation, and everyday services.
North Charleston's median home price runs 22% higher than nearby Columbia: $255,000 there versus $310,000 here.