We lived in Charleston for a year, but it was too expensive and crowded. Now, we’re happily settled 2 hours north.

Our cost of living in Charleston was tough to stomach, too.

The city is one of the most expensive on the aforementioned list of the best places to live in the South. According to data from Zillow and Realtor.com, its median home price is a whopping $635,000 and average rent is almost $2,000 a month.

Our experience seemed about on par. The house we rented in Charleston was less than 900 square feet and cost us $2,100 a month even though it badly needed a renovation.

When we eventually went shopping for a home to purchase, the sticker shock forced us to reevaluate our plans.

Homes in our neighborhood on James Island rarely went on the market. When they did, bidding wars were not uncommon, and even small houses were well out of our price range.

Many three-bedroom homes in the Charleston area have recently sold for $500,000 or more — some for over $1 million, according to Redfin.

We’re now in a smaller South Carolina city, where our everyday life is pretty good

After almost a year, we decided that the traffic, crowds, and cost of living in the Charleston area were not for us.

We moved two hours north to Columbia, the city where we’d raised our kids. After about three years there, a fantastic in-person career opportunity came up for my wife and took us to Florence, South Carolina.

Florence is in the northeastern portion of South Carolina, about 90 minutes from the Myrtle Beach area and two hours from Charleston. It’s home to about 40,000 people — less than a third of Charleston’s population.

It doesn’t quite have the endless dining and shopping options or buzzing social scene that larger Southern cities like Charleston offer — but housing is more affordable. The median home listing price in Florence is $265,000 and median rent is $1,350 a month.

We were able to purchase a three-bedroom, two-bath, 2,300-square-foot home for about $300,000 in a cozy and convenient area.

Our city is smaller but still has a lot to offer. Our neighbors are friendly, and we can walk or jog for miles on well-maintained, tree-lined streets.

There are three grocery stores less than 10 minutes away from our new neighborhood and our access to healthcare is more than adequate. We’ve got tons of parks and trails in our area and several nice places to eat.

We’ve been here for over six months now, and we’re very happy. Florence is no Charleston in many ways, but for everyday life, it’s pretty great.