Moving to Tennessee from South Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Carolina to Tennessee — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Carolina to Tennessee, you would find that Tennessee is 0.8% more expensive than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $73,039 in Tennessee to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from South Carolina to Tennessee.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,039
To maintain the same standard of living in Tennessee
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.5% less
Groceries
pay 7.0% less
Transportation
pay 3.3% less
Housing
pay 1.1% more
Childcare
pay 3.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.2% 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
How South Carolina and Tennessee 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
South Carolina performs better than Tennessee 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 performs better than Tennessee 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Tennessee leads in median rent.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
South Carolina generally does better on infrastructure, though Tennessee 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
Tennessee generally does better on employment & economy, though South Carolina leads in poverty 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 Tennessee 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 | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) | 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) | 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbia | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) | 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) | 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) | 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) |
| May | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) | 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) |
| Jun | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) |
| Sep | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) | 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) |
| Oct | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) | 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Tennessee than South Carolina?
Generally yes: Tennessee runs about 3% cheaper than South Carolina on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Tennessee?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,260 in Tennessee for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Tennessee safe?
South Carolina performs better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Tennessee compared to South Carolina?
South Carolina performs better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Tennessee compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Nashville is 70°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Nashville receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.
