North Charleston vs Wilmington
The short version
- Wilmington is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the North Charleston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $302,200 in North Charleston and $383,800 in Wilmington.
- Households earn more in Wilmington ($66,738 vs $62,956 median).
- North Charleston is growing faster: +12.5% since 2020 vs +9.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Wilmington (19 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| North Charleston, SC | Wilmington, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 129,245 | 126,809 |
| Growth since 2020 | +12.5% | +9.8% |
| People per square mile | 1,658 | 2,469 |
| Median age | 34.6 | 37.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $62,956 | $66,738 |
| Median home value | $302,200 | $383,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.8× | 5.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,430 | $1,395 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.0 | 96.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 119.8 | 93.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $72,300 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 48% |
| Top state income tax | 6% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.49% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.5 | 18.5 |
| Work from home | 10% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 14.4% | 16% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 39° | 57° / 36° |
| July high / low | 91° / 74° | 90° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 53 in | 60 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 64 | 45 |
| Nights below freezing | 22 | 37 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.6 | 96.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 60% | 77% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +3.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +61.6% | +59.7% |
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: North Charleston: March to May and October to November. Wilmington: March to April and November.
Full monthly tables: North Charleston weather by month and Wilmington 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 North Charleston and $72,300 in Wilmington. Moving from North Charleston to Wilmington, you would need about $71,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between North Charleston and Wilmington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from North Charleston and Wilmington.
Which would you pick?
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