State comparison
Nebraska vs South Carolina: which state is better to live in?
South Carolina costs a median household about $2,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Nebraska, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,333 a year against $3,816 in Nebraska.
Nebraska
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 12 categories
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Nebraska vs South Carolina
Nebraska has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.99%, which works out to 4.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,093 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 1.44% of home value a year in Nebraska and 0.43% in South Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,816 against $1,333, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.94% in Nebraska and 7.43% in South Carolina; Nebraska is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,461 a year in Nebraska, $5,915 in South Carolina. South Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nebraska's cost of living index is 91 and South Carolina's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Nebraska is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $265K in Nebraska and $310K in South Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Nebraska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month in Nebraska and $1,350 in South Carolina.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Nebraska and $2,300 in South Carolina, so Nebraska is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 311 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nebraska and 540 in South Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nebraska is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 74% lower. Property crime is 1,956 per 100,000 in Nebraska against 2,730 in South Carolina, again favoring Nebraska.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.6 years in Nebraska and 75.5 in South Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.1-year edge for Nebraska. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nebraska's health system 26th of 50 and South Carolina's 38th, so Nebraska scores better on care.
7.1% of Nebraska residents have no health insurance against 13.1% in South Carolina, which favors Nebraska. Nebraska expanded Medicaid and South Carolina did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nebraska's K-12 schools 18th in the country and South Carolina's 40th, 22 places apart in Nebraska's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nebraska went to Trump by 19 points and South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points.
Nebraska has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; South Carolina has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is legal with limits in Nebraska and banned with narrow exceptions in South Carolina, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nebraska and $7.25 in South Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Nebraska (tornado, blizzard, flood) and high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 33 in Nebraska and 34 in South Carolina (under 50 is good), favoring Nebraska.
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
12
Nebraska
3
South Carolina
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nebraska or South Carolina better to live in?
Nebraska wins more of the measures that decide a move. South Carolina on taxes ($5,915 a year for a median household against $8,461); Nebraska on everyday costs (index 91 against 93); Nebraska on safety (311 violent crimes per 100,000 against 540); Nebraska on schools (ranked 18th against 40th).
Which is cheaper, Nebraska or South Carolina?
Nebraska is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 93. The median home is $265K in Nebraska and $310K in South Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes South Carolina saves a median household about $2,500 a year.
Does Nebraska or South Carolina have lower taxes?
South Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,461 a year in Nebraska ($3,093 income tax, $3,816 property tax on the median home and $1,553 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, Nebraska or South Carolina?
Nebraska, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 311 per 100,000 residents in Nebraska and 540 in South Carolina; property crime is 1,956 against 2,730.
Which has better schools, Nebraska or South Carolina?
Nebraska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nebraska 18th of 50 for K-12 and South Carolina 40th.
Is Nebraska or South Carolina better for retirees?
South Carolina is friendlier to retirees on paper. Nebraska does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an 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 $3,816 a year in Nebraska and $1,333 in South Carolina.