Moving to South Carolina from Texas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Texas to South Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Texas to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 1.2% more expensive than Texas. A $75,000 salary in Texas would need to be roughly $80,744 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbia averages 66°F vs 79°F in Austin, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Texas to South Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $80,744
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 4.7% more
Groceries
pay 17.4% more
Transportation
pay 8.1% less
Housing
pay 3.8% more
Childcare
pay 4.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.1% less
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 Texas and South Carolina 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
Texas generally does better on safety, though South Carolina leads in property crime rate.
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 Texas 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 significantly better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Texas generally does better on infrastructure, though South Carolina 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
Texas performs 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
Texas generally does better on family life, though South Carolina leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Austin | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Austin | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in South Carolina than Texas?
Day-to-day costs in South Carolina run about 8% higher than Texas on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to South Carolina?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,186 in South Carolina for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is South Carolina safe?
Texas generally does better on safety, though South Carolina leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Texas?
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Texas?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 79°F in Austin. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Austin gets 36.2 in.
