Moving to California from South Carolina
What to Expect
Considering a move from South Carolina to California? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from South Carolina to California, you would find that California is 24.1% more expensive than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $90,658 in California to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between South Carolina and California.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $90,658
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 8.0% more
Groceries
pay 7.4% more
Transportation
pay 30.9% more
Housing
pay 30.9% more
Childcare
pay 39.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 42.8% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in California compared to South Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
South Carolina performs better than California 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
California performs significantly 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 better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
South Carolina generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access.
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
California generally does better on employment & economy, though South Carolina leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs significantly 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 | Columbia | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbia | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than South Carolina?
On average California is around 21% pricier than South Carolina, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Budget about $22,664 for 3 months in California (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is California safe?
South Carolina performs better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in California compared to South Carolina?
California performs significantly better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.
