Savannah vs Charleston
The short version
- Savannah is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Charleston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $248,900 in Savannah and $509,700 in Charleston.
- Households earn more in Charleston ($92,414 vs $57,137 median).
- Charleston is growing faster: +5.8% since 2020 vs +1.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Savannah (21 vs 24 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Savannah, GA | Charleston, SC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 149,440 | 159,423 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.1% | +5.8% |
| People per square mile | 1,365 | 1,383 |
| Median age | 34.0 | 36.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 58% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $57,137 | $92,414 |
| Median home value | $248,900 | $509,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.4× | 5.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,382 | $1,722 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.2 | 101.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 86.0 | 119.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,400 | $75,700 |
| Homeowners | 45% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | 6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 7.49% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.7 | 24.2 |
| Work from home | 12% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.2% | 3.4% |
| Poverty rate | 19.7% | 12.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 61° / 40° | 60° / 39° |
| July high / low | 92° / 74° | 91° / 74° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 53 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 80 | 64 |
| Nights below freezing | 22 | 22 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.4 | 98.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 59% | 60% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +4.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +63.5% | +61.6% |
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: Savannah: February to May and October to December. Charleston: March to May and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Savannah weather by month and Charleston weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,400 in Savannah and $75,700 in Charleston. Moving from Savannah to Charleston, you would need about $79,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Savannah and Charleston
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Savannah and Charleston.
Which would you pick?
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