Moving to South Carolina from Alabama
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Alabama to South Carolina — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Alabama to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 13.6% more expensive than Alabama. A $75,000 salary in Alabama would need to be roughly $85,200 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Huntsville and Charleston are about 410 mi apart.
Is South Carolina cheaper than Alabama?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 3.9% more
Groceries
pay 24.8% more
Transportation
pay 0.6% less
Housing
pay 27.6% more
Childcare
pay 3.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in South Carolina?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,200
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Alabama to South Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Alabama performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alabama leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alabama generally does better on what about housing?, though South Carolina leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alabama generally does better on infrastructure, though South Carolina leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
South Carolina generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
South Carolina performs significantly better than Alabama across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in South Carolina vs Alabama
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Huntsville | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 57°/36°F (14°/2°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 81°/59°F (27°/15°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/67°F (32°/20°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 64°/42°F (18°/6°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Huntsville | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51°/32°F (10.7°/-0.1°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.9°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 65°/42°F (18.3°/5.7°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 74°/50°F (23.1°/10.0°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 81°/59°F (27.4°/15.2°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 88°/67°F (31.2°/19.5°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 91°/70°F (32.6°/21.3°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 91°/69°F (32.7°/20.8°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 85°/62°F (29.4°/16.9°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 75°/51°F (23.7°/10.6°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 64°/42°F (17.6°/5.4°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 53°/34°F (11.9°/1.3°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in South Carolina than Alabama?
No — South Carolina is on average about 14% more expensive than Alabama. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to South Carolina?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,300 in South Carolina on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is South Carolina safe?
Alabama performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Alabama?
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alabama leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Alabama?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 73°F in Huntsville. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Huntsville gets 54.3 in.
