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My husband and I and our 2 kids are hopefully moving to Charleston area in the next 6 months. It looks amazing and we can't wait. We're struggling to get solid advice about the cost of living and the general area so we can make an informed decision. Can anyone help us with some questions we have - some may seem a little strange ha!
Cost of living questions based on a four bed home
1. gas and electric for a home approx 2500 sq ft
2. water
3. home insurance - just a rough idea
4. internet - fast connection - do you have fast fibre optic readily available in residential areas?
5. health insurance - any advice on this would be great - used to our NHS here in the UK
6. car insurance - a standard 5 door 5 seats SUV
7. approx community fees?
8. telephone line rental
General info:
1. any info on best areas to live and schools - kids are 11 and 14 - is that put them both high school?
2. do the kids get tested and put in classes of ability rather than age?
3. a little worried about tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding - how often can/does this happen?
4. having snakes, strange looking spiders and alligators on your doorstep will be new to us - (told you the questions may be strange!) - any advice on this - think I could handle a small alligator (been to florida a few times) but think I may freak out over spiders and snakes - are they common - I suppose it's something that all locals are used to?
Any advice and help from local residents and ex-pats would be very much appreciated.
1) natural gas and electric for us averages to about $250 a month. We have a slightly bigger home, but its newer. This can vary depending on the age of the home, lifestyle, etc.
2) water for us ranges between $45 to $76.
3) insurance can have a huge range depending on if you live in a flood zone, in the wind pool, deductibles, age of home, replacement cost, etc, even for homes that are priced identically, but to give a rough stab about $150- $180 a month.
4) not all neighborhoods have fiber internet. Mine does and it goes upto a gig for around $90 a month. I honestly can't tell much difference.
5) not sure on health insurance. Mine is covered by my employer. Hopefully somebody else has a better answer.
6) a car like that may be around $50 a month depending on a whole variety of factors
7) HOA fees can range from $0 to several hundred a month depending on amenities or if its gated. A typical neighborhood with pool, playground, decent landscaping is around $300 a year. Fancier stuff with activities, tennis courts, excessive landscaping, lakes, etc can get up to $1100 a year. Golf courses, social clubs, fancier pools, gates, etc can get much higher
8) Phone ranges depending on the deal. I don't even bother with a landline anymore, but when we had it it was part of a package that came out to $15 a month. Alone is was something ridiculous like $45 a month.
For the general stuff,
1) people concerned with schools typically look at Dorchester County (Summerville), and Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant is on the pricier side. High school typically starts at 15 depending on the birth month.
2) I could be wrong, but grades are typically age based.
3) Hurricanes are rare, but we just had one last year. I didn't do too much. Flooding is common and we had an epic flood a couple years ago. Inland fared much worse than the coast. Overall most of the homes and infrastructure here is designed for specific flood zones.
4) yes spiders, snakes, alligators, all that fun stuff is common. They typically run from humans. You can have a pest control company spray for spiders, but they're typically harmless and I usually don't get them inside unless I leave all my windows open with screens off for long periods of time.
1) natural gas and electric for us averages to about $250 a month. We have a slightly bigger home, but its newer. This can vary depending on the age of the home, lifestyle, etc.
2) water for us ranges between $45 to $76.
3) insurance can have a huge range depending on if you live in a flood zone, in the wind pool, deductibles, age of home, replacement cost, etc, even for homes that are priced identically, but to give a rough stab about $150- $180 a month.
4) not all neighborhoods have fiber internet. Mine does and it goes upto a gig for around $90 a month. I honestly can't tell much difference.
5) not sure on health insurance. Mine is covered by my employer. Hopefully somebody else has a better answer.
6) a car like that may be around $50 a month depending on a whole variety of factors
7) HOA fees can range from $0 to several hundred a month depending on amenities or if its gated. A typical neighborhood with pool, playground, decent landscaping is around $300 a year. Fancier stuff with activities, tennis courts, excessive landscaping, lakes, etc can get up to $1100 a year. Golf courses, social clubs, fancier pools, gates, etc can get much higher
8) Phone ranges depending on the deal. I don't even bother with a landline anymore, but when we had it it was part of a package that came out to $15 a month. Alone is was something ridiculous like $45 a month.
For the general stuff,
1) people concerned with schools typically look at Dorchester County (Summerville), and Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant is on the pricier side. High school typically starts at 15 depending on the birth month.
2) I could be wrong, but grades are typically age based.
3) Hurricanes are rare, but we just had one last year. I didn't do too much. Flooding is common and we had an epic flood a couple years ago. Inland fared much worse than the coast. Overall most of the homes and infrastructure here is designed for specific flood zones.
4) yes spiders, snakes, alligators, all that fun stuff is common. They typically run from humans. You can have a pest control company spray for spiders, but they're typically harmless and I usually don't get them inside unless I leave all my windows open with screens off for long periods of time.
Hope that helps!
Ziggy's answers are spot on given all the potential variables.
For #5, health insurance... not only is the situation here in flux (to state it mildly) but it depends on income for us US citizens. Non US citizens are not eligible for the "marketplace" plans and I'm not sure what international options there are.
#8... I too no longer have a land line and you might find you don't need one here either. For cell service, I have unlimited minutes and text with 2gb data for $29.99 per month.
General Stuff:
#1... I would also include James Island in that list but much depends on your budget for that 2500 sqft home.
#2... Yes, grades are usually age based with first grade starting at age 6. Generally, grade levels here are divided into Elementary, Middle and High school. Middle school is grades 6,7 and 8 and high school goes to 12th grade. Some schools go first through eighth and then High school is separate.
#3... Last year's hurricane, Hurricane Matthew, was the first of any consequence to hit here in 10 years. They had been more common before that but the only one that really caught my attention in my 33 years here was Hugo in '89. I may be more complacent than most.
#4... Yes, spiders, snakes are not uncommon. Anywhere it's sub tropical you'll have more insects. As Ziggy said, most spiders are harmless and in fact most snakes are as well but there are some to watch out for. Still it's a rare problem. Alligators are even rarer unless you live right on the water. It's not unheard of, but they rarely attack humans. Of greater concern in my opinion are the mosquitoes and gnats. These influence my life far more that all of the others combined. If you are willing to use deet, they can be thwarted though.
My husband and I and our 2 kids are hopefully moving to Charleston area in the next 6 months. It looks amazing and we can't wait. We're struggling to get solid advice about the cost of living and the general area so we can make an informed decision. Can anyone help us with some questions we have - some may seem a little strange ha!
Cost of living questions based on a four bed home
1. gas and electric for a home approx 2500 sq ft Depends on lifestyle and how well it was made. I've seen well made older homes cost less than poorly made new ones and vise versa. Budget $200-250/month on average.
2. water $50-60/month most likely, depends on lifestyle and habits.
3. home insurance - just a rough idea Another large variable, in addition to flood insurance. Depends on its attributes and value. Ours is roughly $300/month I think...
4. internet - fast connection - do you have fast fibre optic readily available in residential areas? WOW! (name of internet provider) is in the low $30s/month after taxes and I believe we have about 30MBit service. No problems streaming 4K/UHD or regular high definition.
5. health insurance - any advice on this would be great - used to our NHS here in the UK Usually a benefit that's part of one's employment.
6. car insurance - a standard 5 door 5 seats SUV Depends on the car value, how safe drivers are and policy details
7. approx community fees? Zero if you live in an older neighborhood. Our neighborhood was established in the 1950s and those who would like to use the pool contribute about $300/year towards upkeep so it's voluntary.
8. telephone line rental If you have cable and internet with the same provider it's usually part of a package deal. Haven't had this in over a decade, we only use our mobiles and don't have cable.
General info:
1. any info on best areas to live and schools - kids are 11 and 14 - is that put them both high school? Honestly, you're fine with any of the high schools in James Island, West Ashley, Mt Pleasant, or Dorchester District 2. At this age one's family and motivation are a bigger factor than anything else.
2. do the kids get tested and put in classes of ability rather than age? Both.
3. a little worried about tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding - how often can/does this happen? Not often enough to worry about, except for flooding if you live in one of the areas on the peninsula where the flooding risk is extremely well established. Certain streets can have issues depending on what the tide is doing during heavy rain but they are limited in scope and the patterns are well understood
4. having snakes, strange looking spiders and alligators on your doorstep will be new to us - (told you the questions may be strange!) - any advice on this - think I could handle a small alligator (been to florida a few times) but think I may freak out over spiders and snakes - are they common - I suppose it's something that all locals are used to? I answer 'it depends' a lot. At our place in inner West Ashley... snakes: I see a small grass snake maybe once/year. spiders: typically small ones in the usual places you'd go searching for one, few to none indoors. Alligators: A small one in a nearby creek about 4 years ago. They are typically found in freshwater, I see lots more inland
Any advice and help from local residents and ex-pats would be very much appreciated. I don't recommend buying a place to live without first exploring. Find somewhere that suits your lifestyle and commute, what works best for us may not for you and vise versa. I have expat friends who live in downtown Charleston and others who chose the conformity of the suburbs, one size does not fit all. For what it's worth, with the exception of the poorest performing schools I really think people overthink that factor.
Thank you so much
My thoughts are in bold.
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