Moving to South Carolina from Vermont
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Vermont to South Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Vermont to South Carolina, you would find that South Carolina is 4.9% cheaper than Vermont. A $75,000 salary in Vermont would need to be roughly $73,489 in South Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbia averages 66°F vs 56°F in Montpelier, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Vermont to South Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,489
To maintain the same standard of living in South Carolina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.5% more
Groceries
pay 1.7% more
Transportation
pay 9.9% less
Housing
pay 2.4% more
Childcare
pay 15.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.7% 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 Vermont 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
Vermont 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
Vermont 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Vermont leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Vermont 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
Vermont 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
Vermont performs better than South Carolina 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 | Montpelier | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 34°/8°F (1°/-13°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/42°F (20°/5°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/53°F (26°/12°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Montpelier | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28°/3°F (-2.2°/-15.9°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 33°/6°F (0.3°/-14.5°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 42°/16°F (5.4°/-8.9°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 55°/30°F (12.8°/-1.1°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 69°/42°F (20.3°/5.5°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/53°F (25.5°/11.7°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 83°/58°F (28.4°/14.2°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 81°/55°F (27.4°/13.0°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 73°/47°F (22.8°/8.2°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 59°/35°F (15.1°/1.4°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 46°/26°F (7.6°/-3.4°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 32°/13°F (0.2°/-10.8°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 Vermont?
Headline costs are within a few percent between South Carolina and Vermont; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $18,372 in South Carolina for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is South Carolina safe?
Vermont performs better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Carolina compared to Vermont?
Vermont performs better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in South Carolina compared to Vermont?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 56°F in Montpelier. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Montpelier gets 42.4 in.
