Moving to Charleston, SC

About Charleston

Charleston is the county seat of Charleston County and the anchor city of the Charleston–North Charleston metro — a historic port city on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper rivers, with roughly 150,000 residents. It is the metro's employment, dining, and cultural center: the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the Port of Charleston (one of the busiest container ports on the East Coast) are major economic engines, alongside tourism, tech, and military employers. Neighborhoods range from South of Broad's antebellum mansions to the restaurants of upper King Street, the college bustle around the College of Charleston, West Ashley and Daniel Island.

Home prices in Charleston

The median listing price in Charleston is $616,250.

Top places in Charleston

• Rainbow Row and The Battery
• King Street shopping and restaurant district
• Waterfront Park and the Pineapple Fountain
• Charleston City Market
• Fort Sumter National Monument
• South Carolina Aquarium
• Magnolia Plantation & Gardens and Middleton Place

Commuting from Charleston

• Charleston is the job center, so commutes here are measured from the other towns, not into the city. Within the peninsula most daily trips are 10–20 minutes by car or bike. Getting across the Ashley River to West Ashley or over the Ravenel Bridge to Mount Pleasant runs 15–30 minutes at peak.

Charleston FAQs

• What is the housing market like in Charleston, SC?
  The median listing price in Charleston is $616,250. Median listing price · Realtor.com · September 24, 2026
• How is the commute from Charleston, SC?
  Charleston is the job center, so commutes here are measured from the other towns, not into the city. Within the peninsula most daily trips are 10–20 minutes by car or bike. Getting across the Ashley River to West Ashley or over the Ravenel Bridge to Mount Pleasant runs 15–30 minutes at peak.

More towns in Charleston metro, SC