Charleston vs McKinney
The short version
- Charleston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the McKinney area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $471,800 in McKinney and $509,700 in Charleston.
- Households earn more in McKinney ($124,215 vs $92,414 median).
- Charleston has the warmer winter: January highs of 60°F vs 56°F.
- McKinney has more scorching days: 97 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 64.
- McKinney is growing faster: +20.8% since 2020 vs +5.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Charleston (24 vs 28 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; South Carolina's top rate is 6%.
Side by side
| Charleston, SC | McKinney, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 159,423 | 236,001 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.8% | +20.8% |
| People per square mile | 1,383 | 3,452 |
| Median age | 36.6 | 36.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58% | 54% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $92,414 | $124,215 |
| Median home value | $509,700 | $471,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.5× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,722 | $1,901 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.0 | 103.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 119.8 | 117.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $77,300 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 64% |
| Top state income tax | 6% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.49% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.2 | 27.8 |
| Work from home | 19% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Poverty rate | 12.3% | 5.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 39° | 56° / 34° |
| July high / low | 91° / 74° | 95° / 74° |
| Precipitation per year | 53 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 64 | 97 |
| Nights below freezing | 22 | 48 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.6 | 98.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 60% | 28% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +61.6% | +35.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Charleston: March to May and October to November. McKinney: March to April and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Charleston weather by month and McKinney weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Charleston and $77,300 in McKinney. Moving from Charleston to McKinney, you would need about $76,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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