Moving to South Carolina from Missouri
What to Expect
Considering a move from Missouri to South Carolina? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Missouri to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 8.7% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $81,500 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Kansas City and Charleston are about 930 mi apart.
Is South Carolina cheaper than Missouri?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 1.2% more
Groceries
pay 15.9% more
Transportation
pay 16.2% less
Housing
pay 22.8% more
Childcare
pay 14.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.5% more
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 → $81,500
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in South Carolina compared to Missouri.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Missouri 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
Missouri 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
Missouri 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
Missouri 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
Missouri 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
Missouri performs better than South Carolina 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 Missouri
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kansas City | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kansas City | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°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 Missouri?
On average South Carolina is around 9% pricier than Missouri, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to South Carolina?
Budget about $20,375 for 3 months in South Carolina (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is South Carolina safe?
Missouri performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Missouri?
Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Missouri?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 66°F in Kansas City. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Kansas City gets 39.1 in.
