United States / South Carolina / 16700 / Charleston County / Cities / Zip Codes

Review of Charleston, South Carolina


Very expensive to live here
Star Rating - 8/28/2014
We have lived in Charleston for three and a half years and we are looking to move. The cost of living is VERY expensive. Food and housing are expensive. Sales tax is high. The unemployment rate is high. The majority of people home school their kids because the schools are not good. Traffic is crazy; they won’t build bridges because of the naval base. People in general are incompetent and rude. There is a lack of infrastructure. There is a pathetic pubic transit system that is pretty much useless because no civil engineers were consulted in the building of the city. Everything is spread out so you would need to own a car here. There are no sidewalks. There is a serious lack of ethics that goes beyond rudeness. 90% of the people who live here are not from here. The weather can’t be beat and the beaches are gorgeous. Think twice before you move here the population has a NEGATIVE 7% growth rate.
Rheana | Mount Pleasant, SC
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2 Replies


Rheana, I appreciate your candidness. my brother lives in the same city as you but loves it. he travels a lot, so that must explain affordability and tolerance of this place! cannot thank you enough for the thoroughness and honesty. I will not and cannot move there! :-(
ANITA | Jacksonville, FL | Report Abuse

The weather here is only good in the winter and that is if you came from up north where you were sick and tired of the snow. I would love a little more cooler weather in the winter here. It is really humid and almost unbearable during the days here about 6 months out of the year. The mosquito population is the largest in the south! They don't really spray here or do anything about it! It is very beautiful - the downtown and the waterways, bridges, etc. Especially, the newer larger - multi-lane bridge called the Ravenel. That is a wonderful place where you can go fast for a very short period of time. LOL Only due to multiple lane on both sides. There is a wonderful place to walk on one side all the way from Mt. Pleasant to Charleston - on the bridge. But the roads here are really suffering from too many people/cars almost anytime of the day. If you want to go to a dr. appointment, out to eat lunch, to work, to do errands, then allow two or three times the time it would take in most other cities this size. That can be very frustrating. The downtown area is so beautiful with the Battery and the Charleston style homes that it is a breathtaking place to visit. But try to stay away in the summer because the humidity is almost unbearable and there is very little breeze. If you are from the midwest or west or northwest/northeast and know what true breezes and wind are - there isn't much here except right on the ocean or waterways. It is a friendly city in most respects but the drivers are rude, slow and dangerous. The most serious problem is the infrastructure and the road delays. The one loop around the city - 526 - doesn't even go all the way around. They voted recently not to finish it!!!! Insane. Getting on and off of James Island and Johns Island is difficult due to mostly 2 lane roads. The towns and city allow builders permits all the time to build developments/neighborhoods and apartments but never spend any of the additional revenue fixing the road delays brought on in part by all the new neighborhoods. Someone must be pocketing the money because literally you never see where any of it goes. So sad. If you are a teacher, paralegal, ultra sound technician, etc., in the medical field - you are not paid a fair wage compared to most other places. It is a unique place to live. I have lived many other places: Albuquerque, Dallas, Tulsa, OKC, Charlotte, Asheville, etc. but no place as frustrating as the traffic here. Please don't move here because we don't have room for you. LOL But do visit. Charleston is a great place to visit about 6 times in your lifetime. It is a great place if you love history. The city does a good job in that area as its historical places are everywhere.
Shana | Wadmalaw Island, SC | Report Abuse
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