Charleston, SC vs Savannah, GA - Is one better to live in? (cost, rates)

[Outer_Bluegrass]

Originally Posted by macalan

Charleston has better health care and is less "gritty" than Savannah. Savannah (I think) also has more crime.

I agree that Savannah is grittier than Charleston, but overall, Georgia is cleaner and has better infrastructure than South Carolina.

[MrDee12345]

Which city would you live in if you wanted to move there with a family, and you plan to put your child in public school?

[littletraveller]

That's easy.

Live and work in Charleston. Drive down to Savannah to party on the weekend.

[dcb175]

I really liked Charleston as a visitor, and I can see how it has all the trappings of a larger metro area in a more compact, smaller scale. The architecture was fantastic, and I don't think we had a bad meal there. That said, bachelorette party culture that seemed to exist at night on King Street was annoying (to say the least), and I have heard that Savannah is somehow even worse there. Though we found, at least in Charleston, staying off of King Street fixed that problem.

But the climate... I was simply not prepared for the heat index when we were there last July. I knew what we were getting into on paper, but to experience for a few days was something else. But if the OP is already in SC, I suppose that's not an issue/surprise. I don't think I've ever sweat as much just walking around as I did in Charleston.

But those quibbles aside, it felt like a very liveable (if not pricey) city.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by dcb175

I really liked Charleston as a visitor, and I can see how it has all the trappings of a larger metro area in a more compact, smaller scale. The architecture was fantastic, and I don't think we had a bad meal there. That said, bachelorette party culture that seemed to exist at night on King Street was annoying (to say the least), and I have heard that Savannah is somehow even worse there. Though we found, at least in Charleston, staying off of King Street fixed that problem.

But the climate... I was simply not prepared for the heat index when we were there last July. I knew what we were getting into on paper, but to experience for a few days was something else. But if the OP is already in SC, I suppose that's not an issue/surprise. I don't think I've ever sweat as much just walking around as I did in Charleston.

But those quibbles aside, it felt like a very liveable (if not pricey) city.

That's one thing I noticed about Charleston is that there's a lot more open sun as opposed to the shade provided by the trees that lined the streets or in the squares of Savannah.

[Prickly Pear]

Doesn't Charleston flood a lot? Wouldn't insurance be expensive and affect the COL?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

That's one thing I noticed about Charleston is that there's a lot more open sun as opposed to the shade provided by the trees that lined the streets or in the squares of Savannah.

And herein lies a palpable difference between the two city cores, particularly if you visit both of them over a Labor Day weekend (as I did). Walking the streets of Charleston, I found the heat, humidity and sun exposure relentlessly oppressive; the shady squares of Savannah were a blessed relief. Quelle difference.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Doesn't Charleston flood a lot? Wouldn't insurance be expensive and affect the COL?

It also has a higher risk of direct hits by hurricanes as Savannah tends to get spared. However if you're into surfing I hear Charleston is better for that. I don't think it was in this thread but another one comparing Charleston vs. Savannah, and it might have been Frolly Beach that mentioned as being better than Tybee.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

It also has a higher risk of direct hits by hurricanes as Savannah tends to get spared. However if you're into surfing I hear Charleston is better for that. I don't think it was in this thread but another one comparing Charleston vs. Savannah, and it might have been Frolly Beach that mentioned as being better than Tybee.

Very debatable IMO, but both have come a loooooong way in 40 years.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by g500

I have visited both (Savannah in 2013 and Charleston in 2022). They are truly like sister cities. I found Charleston to feel much larger and more interesting. Savannah by comparison was more sleepy, quaint, and had a more authentic Southern feel. Savannah had better parks and tree coverage by far. Savannah was quieter and felt more piney/swampy, while Charleston felt more agricultural/mainland adjacent. Neither city is beachy / beach vibes whatsoever, from what I observed. But they are both major port cities, through and through. They both have a military presence.

Charleston seemed far more college-oriented, more white collar, more urban, and has a much larger commercial/business district. It was also noticeably wealthier and nicer as a whole. Charleston feels much more cosmopolitan - though it seemed very segregated by class, with some extremely beautiful mansions along the ocean and then clapboard houses crammed together in other areas. Charleston had more aggressive drivers.

Charleston has a more dense urban fabric, tighter streets, and a few busy intersections that feel like you are in a real big city - It felt faster paced with far more pedestrian activity. Much taller buildings, more dense housing, more shopping/storefronts. Savannah had wider more open boulevards, whereas Charleston is pretty packed and tighter overall.

Both cities are kinda in the middle of nowhere - they both are surrounded by very rural areas - though Charleston seemed to have more of a commercial corridor leading up to its central business area.

Charleston had a bunch of homeless people milling about in the downtown, around parking garages, and in some parks (no tents), whereas I do not recall seeing any homeless people in Savannah, at all. Though I saw Savannah a decade ago, so it was a different time.

They both were clean cities. No real trash or blight that I saw.

Savannah did not feel big in any parts, except when you first cross the bridge and see the large cargo port and ships. Savannah has an actual major container/dry bulk port (larger than the one I saw in Mobile AL, and only dwarfed by the ports I saw in Long Beach CA and in Newark), whereas Charleston's port seemed far smaller and more recreational/tourism oriented. Charleston's ship activity was much less overall, it was mostly private boats/and small yachts. Savannah had big tug boats, container ships, massive cranes loading and unloading cargo- I saw nothing like that in Charleston. Neither city is overwhelming by any means,both are very inviting. Savannah even moreso because it is more laidback. Both had very conversational people.

Savannah definitely had more Black influence and culture from what I recall. Savannah seemed to have a bigger art/music scene. Savannah seemed a bit more organic, whereas Charleston felt more traditional.

Savannah had a great bus system. Charleston had more museums. I only ate in Savannah at a small pub along the brick riverfront walkway - very neat and open walking restaurant/bar area (Charleston did not have anything like this as I recall -its bar scene was on a street downtown - King Street?) both seemingly had amazing cuisine options.

Charleston had a ton of horses and carriages out and about. They both had a high level of tourist activity, but Charleston seemed like it had more tourism, or at least more day to day activity going on.

I personally enjoyed Charleston more overall, but they are both VERY VERY fascinsting cities. 10/10 would visit both again. Wow. Incredible, deep, rich history.

I could add more details of my experiences but this is all off the top of my head. Keep in mind I was a tourist for only one day each in both cities so some of my info may be incorrect or misguided.

To answer your question, OP, I think they both would be great places to live in. My only complaint is that Savannah did not have a good healthcare system at all (I was at the ER there). Then again, South Carolina did not either (specifically Hilton Head Hospital - absolutely awful). I get the impression that access to quality medical care is not a strong suit down South (do not even get me started on Tennessee...)

Savannah is probably cheaper COL. Not sure about career opportunities - Charleston probably leans more toward business, law, education, whereas Savannah is probably more blue collar, logistics, and then also the art, music, and creative types/industry. Both have big military presence, lots of military careers too.

A lot has changed in 10 years. Not saying that Charleston hasn't grown much since then, but Savannah's downtown has since added a lot to its downtown and almost looks like a true city skyline, with the Eastern Wharf area and the new SCAD dorm tower right next to the Talmadge Bridge. The latter however upset a lot of local residents. I don't remember seeing that many tall buildings in Charleston, and I believe they have a more stringent restriction on the height limit, that they can't build anything higher than the tallest church steeple.

Overall Savannah is more aesthetically pleasing imo. Something about the natural looking red bricks and the bright green colors gives it a more authentic look, plus as mentioned earlier about the squares, fountains, and streets lined with the trees with the Spanish moss. Chuck-town had more of a whitewashed look.

Unfortunately not all change/growth is good as I've noticed more homeless people in Savannah, especially recently since the pandemic.