State comparison
Alabama vs South Carolina: which state is better to live in?
South Carolina costs a median household about $690 a year less in state and local taxes than Alabama, mostly because its income tax takes 3.9% of a median income against 4.9% in Alabama, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 93 against 87).
Alabama
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Alabama vs South Carolina
Alabama has a graduated income tax topping out at 5%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,689 a year. South Carolina has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.2%, which works out to 3.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,920 a year. South Carolina wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.39% of home value a year in Alabama and 0.43% in South Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $850 against $1,333, so Alabama has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.22% in Alabama and 7.43% in South Carolina; South Carolina is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,602 a year in Alabama, $5,915 in South Carolina. South Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alabama's cost of living index is 87 and South Carolina's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Alabama is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $218K in Alabama and $310K in South Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $92K gap in Alabama's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Alabama and $1,350 in South Carolina.
Home insurance averages $2,400 a year in Alabama and $2,300 in South Carolina, so South Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 547 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 540 in South Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 1% lower. Property crime is 2,247 per 100,000 in Alabama against 2,730 in South Carolina, again favoring Alabama.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.2 years in Alabama and 75.5 in South Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.3-year edge for South Carolina. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alabama's health system 41st of 50 and South Carolina's 38th, so South Carolina scores better on care.
11.2% of Alabama residents have no health insurance against 13.1% in South Carolina, which favors Alabama. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama's K-12 schools 44th in the country and South Carolina's 40th, 4 places apart in South Carolina's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alabama went to Trump by 28 points and South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points.
Alabama has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; South Carolina has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Alabama and $7.25 in South Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alabama (tornado, flood) and high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Alabama is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Alabama and 34 in South Carolina (under 50 is good), favoring South Carolina.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Alabama
8
South Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alabama or South Carolina better to live in?
South Carolina wins more of the measures that decide a move. South Carolina on taxes ($5,915 a year for a median household against $6,602); Alabama on everyday costs (index 87 against 93); South Carolina on safety (540 violent crimes per 100,000 against 547); South Carolina on schools (ranked 40th against 44th).
Which is cheaper, Alabama or South Carolina?
Alabama is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 93. The median home is $218K in Alabama and $310K in South Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes South Carolina saves a median household about $690 a year.
Does Alabama or South Carolina have lower taxes?
South Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,602 a year in Alabama ($3,689 income tax, $850 property tax on the median home and $2,063 in sales tax) and $5,915 in South Carolina ($2,920 income tax, $1,333 property tax on the median home and $1,662 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alabama or South Carolina?
South Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 547 per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 540 in South Carolina; property crime is 2,247 against 2,730.
Which has better schools, Alabama or South Carolina?
South Carolina. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama 44th of 50 for K-12 and South Carolina 40th.
Is Alabama or South Carolina better for retirees?
Alabama is friendlier to retirees on paper. Alabama does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; South Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $850 a year in Alabama and $1,333 in South Carolina.