Moving to Alabama from South Carolina
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from South Carolina to Alabama — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from South Carolina to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 11.9% cheaper than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $66,000 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle. Charleston and Huntsville are about 410 mi apart.
Is Alabama cheaper than South Carolina?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 3.8% less
Groceries
pay 19.9% less
Transportation
pay 0.6% more
Housing
pay 21.7% less
Childcare
pay 3.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.1% 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 Alabama?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from South Carolina to Alabama.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Alabama performs significantly 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
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alabama leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alabama 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
South Carolina generally does better on infrastructure, though Alabama 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
South Carolina generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
South Carolina performs better than Alabama 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 Alabama vs South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Huntsville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 57°/36°F (14°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 81°/59°F (27°/15°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 89°/67°F (32°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 64°/42°F (18°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Huntsville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 51°/32°F (10.7°/-0.1°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.9°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 65°/42°F (18.3°/5.7°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 74°/50°F (23.1°/10.0°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 81°/59°F (27.4°/15.2°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 88°/67°F (31.2°/19.5°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 91°/70°F (32.6°/21.3°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 91°/69°F (32.7°/20.8°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 85°/62°F (29.4°/16.9°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 75°/51°F (23.7°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 64°/42°F (17.6°/5.4°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 53°/34°F (11.9°/1.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than South Carolina?
Yes — Alabama is on average about 12% cheaper than South Carolina. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Alabama?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,500 in Alabama on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Alabama safe?
Alabama performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to South Carolina?
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alabama leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Huntsville is 73°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Huntsville receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
