How Affordable Is South Carolina, Really?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#20

20th out of 50 states overall.

Above average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#13

13th cheapest state, about 12% below average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $65,700 here.

How we measure cost ›

South Carolina ranks 20th of 50 states for overall quality of life and 13th for affordability. It does best on climate, cost, and economy, and struggles most with safety, healthcare, and education. A typical household earns about $62,800 a year, and the cost of living runs about 12% below average.

Why South Carolina ranks #20 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how South Carolina scores on each, best to worst.

Climate
#5 of 50
Cost of living
#13 of 50
Economy
#15 of 50
Green space
#29 of 50
Dog friendly
#31 of 50
Air quality
#32 of 50
Walkability
#36 of 50
Safety
#38 of 50
Healthcare
#40 of 50
Education
#40 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

South Carolina at a glance

Typical household income

$62,800

41st highest

Typical home price

$308,000

31st highest

Overall cost of living

12% below average

13th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 8%

13th highest income tax

Typical commute

About 25 min

one way

Taxes in South Carolina

See your real South Carolina take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after South Carolina taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.