Moving to South Carolina from Utah
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Utah to South Carolina — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Utah to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 6.1% more expensive than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $79,600 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Charleston averages 73°F vs 64°F in Salt Lake City, making it significantly warmer. Salt Lake City and Charleston are about 1,850 mi apart.
Is South Carolina cheaper than Utah?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 9.5% more
Groceries
pay 28.7% more
Transportation
pay 16.5% less
Housing
pay 9.0% more
Childcare
pay 7.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.9% 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.
What salary do you need in South Carolina?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,600
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Utah to South Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah performs 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
Utah performs 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 significantly better than Utah across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah performs better than South Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Utah 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
Utah performs 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 South Carolina vs Utah
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salt Lake City | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in South Carolina than Utah?
No — South Carolina is on average about 6% more expensive than Utah. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to South Carolina?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,900 in South Carolina on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is South Carolina safe?
Utah performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Utah?
Utah performs better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
