Quote:
Originally Posted by rcrabb22
How about the cost of living? And the job picture?
|
rcrabb22
Cost/Quality of living is as good as you will find. Property taxes are a higher in Richland county than the surrounding counties. You can get alot of home for your money in the Columbia area. Some area's such as West Columbia/Lexington, Southeast Columbia and Northeast are more affordable than others for newer developments. Downtown living, Shandon, Forest Acres, Lake Carolina, Wildwood and Lake Murray are a little more expensive, but still nothing outrageous.
Gas prices are low. General living expenses are well below national average.
The job picture is unfortunately not so great. Unemployment rates are extremely high here. The job market is growing but a city like charlotte for example is leagues ahead of us as far as career opportunities.
Alot of people however from outlying towns commute to columbia daily for work. I think Columbia's market isnt great because there is so few opportunities outside of columbia until you get up to Greenville, down to Charleston or the coastal regions. The small town job seekers pretty much have few options other than Columbia for meaningful employment.