Moving to Hawaii from South Carolina
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from South Carolina to Hawaii — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from South Carolina to Hawaii, you would find that Hawaii is 46.7% more expensive than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $110,000 in Hawaii to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Honolulu averages 84°F vs 73°F in Charleston, making it significantly warmer. Charleston and Honolulu are about 4,750 mi apart.
Is Hawaii cheaper than South Carolina?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 43.3% more
Groceries
pay 70.0% more
Transportation
pay 28.4% more
Housing
pay 55.2% more
Childcare
pay 25.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 38.3% 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 Hawaii?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $110,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Hawaii
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from South Carolina to Hawaii.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Hawaii 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
Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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
Hawaii performs significantly 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
Hawaii performs significantly 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 Hawaii vs South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Hawaii than South Carolina?
No — Hawaii is on average about 47% more expensive than South Carolina. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Hawaii?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $27,500 in Hawaii on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Hawaii safe?
Hawaii performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Hawaii compared to South Carolina?
Hawaii performs significantly better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Hawaii compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Honolulu is 84°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Honolulu receives around 17.1 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
