We moved from Burlington, VT, to Charleston, SC, 13 years ago, and never looked back. It took about six months to realize we were spending $1000 LESS per month . House payment (a real HOUSE, not a condo), gas, electricity (we bought an all-electric house and I feared the worst, and was VERY pleasantly surprised). I did a little research and found SC power is around 12.9 cents/kWh, while Vermont is 21.5 Mapped: The Average Cost of Electricity by U.S. State
Groceries, pet supplies, home repairs, etc. were all lower. the Charleston cultural life is as vivid and varied as Boston or NY. And perhaps more culturally balanced. Museums, sport arenas, the Galliard Playhouse, North Charleston Performing Arts Center, are always booked with everything from rock concerts to Broadway plays, The Sound of Music just opened for an 8-day run, and Jeff Dunham will be turning Walter and Achmed loose just before Thanksgiving. The SC Aquarium will be kicking off its annual Christmas program with light shows, music, and yours truly —among others —as SCUBA Santa!
And not a bottle of hot sauce in sight!
We’ve had snow twice since we moved down here, the first time literally a year to the day we moved in. We played it smart and stayed home until it melted off. The way you drive in snow in Carolina is YOU DON’T! We Damnyankees may know how, but the locals have not got a clue!
Overall, I will take Southern Living over Vermont. We don’t get Leaf Peeper Season here on the coast, but a short drive up towards Clemson gets you into some nice color. And I definitely do not miss having to dig my car out of a snowdrift at 5AM in double-digit-below-zero temperatures. I saw it as a sure sign of civilization when I drove past Lowes and Home Depot in November, and there was not a single snow-blower or even shovel on display!
Stay warm, my friend!
As a life time Southerner, welcome down.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the Charleston area for various reasons and find it wonderful.
Wish I could join you folks down in the unfrozen world but Camera Girl isn’t ready to let go of the grandkids yet. And my job is to keep her happy.
Had a similar experience when I moved from NY to Texas. A few months after moving in (Moving is expensive,) the wife and I were going over the budget and we had money left over – a lot of money. We thought we’d missed a bill or something.
Nope, everything is cheaper.
I feel like Moses, forced to see the promised land but fated to never enter it.
Follow Brother Love’s advice:
Pack up the babies and grab the Old Ladies and EVERYONE goes!
https://youtu.be/6pCxPNuokfM
Unfortunately, easier said than done. I’d need a pot of gold to do that. Sons-in-law have a say in where they live too. But someday when the grandkids are older, maybe.