Moving to South Carolina from North Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from North Carolina to South Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from North Carolina to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 1.6% cheaper than North Carolina. A $75,000 salary in North Carolina would need to be roughly $75,083 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from North Carolina to South Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,083
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 1.6% less
Transportation
pay 11.7% less
Housing
pay 3.3% more
Childcare
pay 7.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.0% 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 North Carolina 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
North Carolina 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
North Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in uninsured rate.
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 North Carolina across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
North Carolina 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
North Carolina 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
North Carolina 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 | Asheville | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Asheville | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°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 North Carolina?
Headline costs are within a few percent between South Carolina and North Carolina; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $18,771 in South Carolina for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is South Carolina safe?
North Carolina performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to North Carolina?
North Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to North Carolina?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 67°F in Asheville. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Asheville gets 37.0 in.
