State comparison
Louisiana vs South Carolina: which state is better to live in?
Louisiana costs a median household about $400 a year less in state and local taxes than South Carolina, mostly because its income tax takes 3.0% of a median income against 3.9% in South Carolina.
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 7 categories
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Louisiana vs South Carolina
Louisiana has a graduated income tax topping out at 3%, which works out to 3.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,237 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. Louisiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Louisiana and 0.43% in South Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,140 against $1,333, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.56% in Louisiana 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: $5,516 a year in Louisiana, $5,915 in South Carolina. Louisiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Louisiana's cost of living index is 91 and South Carolina's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Louisiana is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Louisiana and $310K in South Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $95K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Louisiana and $1,350 in South Carolina.
Home insurance averages $3,000 a year in Louisiana and $2,300 in South Carolina, so South Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 587 incidents per 100,000 residents in Louisiana and 540 in South Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 9% lower. Property crime is 2,426 per 100,000 in Louisiana against 2,730 in South Carolina, again favoring Louisiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 73 years in Louisiana and 75.5 in South Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for South Carolina. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Louisiana's health system 45th of 50 and South Carolina's 38th, so South Carolina scores better on care.
8.5% of Louisiana residents have no health insurance against 13.1% in South Carolina, which favors Louisiana. Louisiana expanded Medicaid and South Carolina did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Louisiana's K-12 schools 47th in the country and South Carolina's 40th, 7 places apart in South Carolina's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Louisiana went to Trump by 20 points and South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points.
Louisiana 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 Louisiana and $7.25 in South Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado) and high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood), so South Carolina is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Louisiana 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
Louisiana
8
South Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Louisiana or South Carolina better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Louisiana on taxes ($5,516 a year for a median household against $5,915); Louisiana on everyday costs (index 91 against 93); South Carolina on safety (540 violent crimes per 100,000 against 587); South Carolina on schools (ranked 40th against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Louisiana or South Carolina?
Louisiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 93. The median home is $215K in Louisiana and $310K in South Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes Louisiana saves a median household about $400 a year.
Does Louisiana or South Carolina have lower taxes?
Louisiana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,516 a year in Louisiana ($2,237 income tax, $1,140 property tax on the median home and $2,139 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, Louisiana or South Carolina?
South Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 587 per 100,000 residents in Louisiana and 540 in South Carolina; property crime is 2,426 against 2,730.
Which has better schools, Louisiana or South Carolina?
South Carolina. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Louisiana 47th of 50 for K-12 and South Carolina 40th.
Is Louisiana or South Carolina better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Louisiana does not tax 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 $1,140 a year in Louisiana and $1,333 in South Carolina.