Moving to South Carolina from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Considering a move from Pennsylvania to South Carolina? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 0.2% more expensive than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $75,200 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Philadelphia and Charleston are about 560 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to South Carolina? Get a shortlist of towns in South Carolina that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is South Carolina cheaper than Pennsylvania?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.9% more
Groceries
pay 12.2% more
Transportation
pay 10.0% less
Housing
pay 6.7% more
Childcare
pay 34.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.9% 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 → $75,200
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 Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult smoking 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 Pennsylvania across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Philadelphia | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Philadelphia | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°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 Pennsylvania?
South Carolina and Pennsylvania are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to South Carolina?
Budget about $18,800 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?
Pennsylvania performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 65°F in Philadelphia. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Philadelphia gets 41.5 in.
