State comparison
Colorado vs South Carolina: which state is better to live in?
South Carolina costs a median household about $1,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,333 a year against $2,616 in Colorado.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 7 categories
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs South Carolina
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 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 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.43% in South Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $1,333, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado 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: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $5,915 in South Carolina. South Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and South Carolina's is 93, where 100 is the national average; South Carolina is about 18% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $310K in South Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $235K gap in South Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,350 in South Carolina.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $2,300 in South Carolina, so South Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 540 in South Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 19% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,730 in South Carolina, again favoring South Carolina.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 75.5 in South Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and South Carolina's 38th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 13.1% in South Carolina, which favors Colorado. Colorado expanded Medicaid and South Carolina did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and South Carolina's 40th, 31 places apart in Colorado's favor. South Carolina runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; South Carolina has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and South Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and banned with narrow exceptions in South Carolina, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and medical only in South Carolina as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in South Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado 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
Colorado
9
South Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or South Carolina better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. South Carolina on taxes ($5,915 a year for a median household against $7,634); South Carolina on everyday costs (index 93 against 110); Colorado on safety (453 violent crimes per 100,000 against 540); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 40th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or South Carolina?
South Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $310K in South Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes South Carolina saves a median household about $1,700 a year.
Does Colorado or South Carolina have lower taxes?
South Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 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, Colorado or South Carolina?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 540 in South Carolina; property crime is 2,859 against 2,730.
Which has better schools, Colorado or South Carolina?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and South Carolina 40th. South Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or South Carolina better for retirees?
South Carolina is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly 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 $2,616 a year in Colorado and $1,333 in South Carolina.