Where to live and advice in living in Charleston SC

November 11, 2013 8:30 AM

My son 23 and single is moving the Charleston SCfor his first real post college job. What advice would you give him for finding an apartment on a modest income and living in what looks like to be a very cool city? Thanks.
posted by captainmickey to Work & Money (2 answers total)

I lived in Charleston for about a year and a half. I moved there from NJ for work and it was like I was living on vacation for that entire time. What a wonderful city. If he is on a modest income, I would suggest looking into neighborhoods like West Ashley, which is close to downtown and a nice area with lots to do in a close vicinity. I lived in a apartment community called West Chase. It wasn't fancy, but for 850.00 I got a nice clean two bedroom apt, 2 bathrooms, with a pool, gym, laundry facilities. There are nicer places, but this one was perfect for my needs. What surprised me about the Charleston area is that there are lots of housing complexes. There are some amazing beaches close to West Ashley, like Folley Beach, which has a younger audiance then other beaches like Isle of Palms, which have more high end properties. There are a huge amount of restaurants and things to do downtown and in Mt Pleasant area. The one thing I will bring up is that he should be careful about leases, they are very strict so lets say he is there for over a year and finds that he wants to move downtown, or somewhere else, every year these big rental companies require you to resign a lease and they will hold you to your lease, so before he resigns, make sure he knows if he wants to live there or not. Have fun!
posted by brinkzilla at 10:32 AM on November 11, 2013

What's his budget? Does he enjoy urban living? Or is convenience, access to beaches more important to him?

I live in downtown Charleston. I would not live anywhere else in the Charleston area, but I value urban living and ability to walk and stumble home to bars and restaurants, riding my bike. It costs significantly more to live there than it does in other parts of the area, and the quality of the houses varies drastically.

If he's ok with the suburbs, many of my friends lied in Runaway Bay. It had sort of the 90210, collegial atmosphere, pool, etc. Lot of friends and bf/gfs met there. Lots of young people.

If wants to live downtown, one tip is that even 'sketchy' neighborhoods outside of the Eastside are not bad. The area around Hampton Park and Citadel is actually very nice, but its sleepier, but you'll get cheaper housing.

If he is ok with living downtown, a 1 br will go anywhere from $800 to $1200. Probably half that for living in the suburbs (West Ashley/Mt Pleasant) Finding roommates on craigslist would be my suggestion. you can memail for suggestions.
posted by sandmanwv at 10:36 AM on November 11, 2013