Charleston vs Missouri City
The short version
- Missouri City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Charleston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $311,400 in Missouri City and $509,700 in Charleston.
- Missouri City has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 60°F.
- Missouri City has more scorching days: 112 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 64.
- Commutes are shorter in Charleston (24 vs 30 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; South Carolina's top rate is 6%.
Side by side
| Charleston, SC | Missouri City, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 159,423 | 77,327 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.8% | +4.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,383 | 2,665 |
| Median age | 36.6 | 40.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $92,414 | $94,390 |
| Median home value | $509,700 | $311,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.5× | 3.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,722 | $1,931 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.0 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 119.8 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 82% |
| Top state income tax | 6% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.49% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.2 | 30.4 |
| Work from home | 19% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.4% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 12.3% | 7.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 39° | 64° / 45° |
| July high / low | 91° / 74° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 53 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 64 | 112 |
| Nights below freezing | 22 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.6 | 97.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 60% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +61.6% | +32.7% |
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. Missouri City: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Charleston weather by month and Missouri City 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 $74,000 in Missouri City. Moving from Charleston to Missouri City, you would need about $73,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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