Moving to South Carolina from Maryland
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Maryland to South Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Maryland to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 10.4% cheaper than Maryland. A $75,000 salary in Maryland would need to be roughly $68,674 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Maryland to South Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,674
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 6.1% more
Groceries
pay 10.5% less
Transportation
pay 12.8% less
Housing
pay 0.9% more
Childcare
pay 32.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.1% 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 Maryland 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
Maryland 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
Maryland performs better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
South Carolina performs significantly better than Maryland across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Maryland generally does better on infrastructure, though South Carolina leads in average commute.
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
Maryland 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
Maryland 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 | Annapolis | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/33°F (10°/0°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 59°/42°F (15°/6°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Annapolis | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°/29°F (6.9°/-1.6°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 48°/31°F (9.0°/-0.5°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.5°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 68°/47°F (20.1°/8.6°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 77°/57°F (25.0°/13.7°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.2°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 89°/71°F (31.9°/21.9°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.4°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 81°/64°F (27.2°/17.6°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 69°/52°F (20.7°/10.9°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 59°/42°F (14.9°/5.3°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.4°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 Maryland?
Generally yes: South Carolina runs about 8% cheaper than Maryland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
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 $17,168 in South Carolina for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is South Carolina safe?
Maryland performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Maryland?
Maryland performs better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Maryland?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 68°F in Annapolis. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Annapolis gets 47.3 in.
