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South Carolina A Good Choice To Raise A Child Monetarily According To New List

Author Melany Myers
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

 

Most of us are looking to save money in one way or another. Everything is so expensive, especially housing. The personal finance website SmartAsset used data from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator to find that in the U.S., it costs over $30,000 to raise a child. The site looked at hundreds of areas in the country to find which are the most expensive and which are the least expensive.

Not a big shocker, California has numerous cities/areas on the most expensive list. Just living in California is crazy expensive! Also on the expensive list were Boston, Barnstable, MA, and Ann Arbor, MI.

On the other side, numerous cities in South Carolina made the least expensive list. Columbia, SC was one of the cities and I lived there for about 8 years. One of the hottest places you’ll ever go, but I liked Columbia! Sumter, SC was also on the list and it’s close to Columbia, SC. Also Florence, SC, Hilton Head Island/Bluffton, SC and Spartanburg, SC made the list.

The study didn’t just give a list of places, it gave you monetary stats on things like the cost of child care, housing, healthcare, and more. You can see the actual breakdown of each expensive and least expensive place here. If you’re planning a family, this may help you choose where to live.

Charlotte Tops The List Of Cheapest Cities To Live Based On Weather

The cost of living in Charlotte is increasing, especially if you’re in an area like Southend or Plaza Midwood. But compared to other cities we are still doing pretty well. And while the perfect weather is subjective, you have to admit Charlotte’s weather is pretty great. We get all 4 seasons, avoid a harsh winter, are typically spared from hurricanes, and aren’t located in tornado alley. That might be why Charlotte topped the list of cheapest cities to live with the best weather.

The study was conducted by real estate data source PropertyShark. They looked at the US cities with a population of more than 150,000 residents. Those cities were then ranked by housing expenses and climate, including the number of clear days yearly, the number of days with extreme temperatures, as well as rain and wind.

And Charlotte came in first on the list of cheapest cities to live! Two other NC cities made the list which is probably due to the state’s climate. So the next time you complain about the weather (which I did this morning) just remember we have it much better than other parts of the country.

View the Top 20 Cities below and view the full study here .

  • 1. Charlotte, NC

  • 2. Raleigh, NC

  • 3. Columbus, CA

  • 4. Mobile, AL

  • 5. Greensboro, NC

  • 6. Norfolk, VA

  • 7. Jackson, MS

  • 8. Shreveport, LA

  • 9. Nashville, TN

  • 10. Tallahassee, FL

  • 11. Chattanooga, TN

  • 12. Jacksonville, FL

  • 13. Memphis, TN

  • 14. Baton Rouge, LA

  • 15. Birmingham, AL

  • 16. Little Rock, AR

  • 17. Huntsville, AL

  • 18. Springfield, MO

  • 19. San Antonio, TX

  • 20. Philadelphia, PA

Melany Myers is a Gastonia native and has spent most of her life here in North Carolina. Mel has worked in radio for over 20 years, many of which she spent co-hosting morning shows in Charlotte, NC, and Columbia, SC. Mel loves 80’s music, going to concerts, cooking, and eating! She is always writing about random news stories that really make you wonder, “what in the world?!” She also writes about rock music and human-interest content.

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