Moving to Pennsylvania from South Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Carolina to Pennsylvania — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 0.2% cheaper than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $74,800 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle. Charleston and Philadelphia are about 560 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Pennsylvania? Get a shortlist of towns in Pennsylvania that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Pennsylvania cheaper than South Carolina?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.8% less
Groceries
pay 10.8% less
Transportation
pay 11.2% more
Housing
pay 6.3% less
Childcare
pay 52.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Pennsylvania?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $74,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Pennsylvania
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How South Carolina and Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
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 better than Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania vs South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than South Carolina?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Pennsylvania and South Carolina; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,700 in Pennsylvania for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to South Carolina?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Philadelphia is 65°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Philadelphia receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
