Compare / Charleston to Lakeland
Charleston, SC vs Lakeland, FL
Simple answer
You'd likely save $276 a month in Lakeland.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 23.8 points (Charleston 119.8, Lakeland 95.9).
South Carolina taxes wages at rates up to 6.00%. Florida has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 0.5 percentage points, higher in South Carolina. The effective property tax gap is 0.31 percentage points, higher in Florida.
After a move from South Carolina to Florida, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Charleston lines up with about $72,162 in Lakeland on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Charleston
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,884
- HUD area
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,714
- All-items price parity
- 101.0
- Goods price parity
- 96.3
- Utilities price parity
- 88.2
- Mean commute
- 29.4 min
- Median household income
- $90,307
Lakeland
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,608
- HUD area
- Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,484
- All-items price parity
- 97.1
- Goods price parity
- 96.2
- Utilities price parity
- 86.9
- Mean commute
- 31.4 min
- Median household income
- $66,779
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$72,162
Salary in Lakeland that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$67,115
Gross salary in Lakeland whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$64,013
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | South Carolina | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 6.00% | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.5% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.45% | 0.75% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,786 a year in South Carolina and $3,016 in Florida. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Florida
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in South Carolina and once in Florida. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
WIC
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
School meals
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
LIHEAP
CharlestonMaybe
LakelandMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
CharlestonLikely eligible
LakelandLikely eligible
SSI
CharlestonUnlikely
LakelandUnlikely
| Program | Charleston | Lakeland |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Charleston
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Charleston.
- Charleston and San Francisco · rent gap $1,813
- Charleston and San Jose · rent gap $1,388
- Charleston and Boston · rent gap $1,124
- Charleston and New York · rent gap $1,087
- Charleston and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,080
- Charleston and San Diego · rent gap $939
- Charleston and McAllen · rent gap $867
- Charleston and Wichita · rent gap $841
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.