Moving to South Carolina from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to South Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 10.1% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $88,457 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to South Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $88,457
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.9% more
Groceries
pay 23.0% more
Transportation
pay 10.1% more
Housing
pay 29.1% more
Childcare
pay 9.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.2% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and South Carolina stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa 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
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa performs better than South Carolina across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa performs better than South Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Iowa performs better than South Carolina across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Iowa performs better than South Carolina across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in South Carolina than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in South Carolina run about 18% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to South Carolina?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,114 in South Carolina for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is South Carolina safe?
Iowa performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
