State comparison
North Carolina vs South Carolina: which state is better to live in?
South Carolina costs a median household about $970 a year less in state and local taxes than North Carolina, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,333 a year against $2,345 in North Carolina.
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 9 categories
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: North Carolina vs South Carolina
North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 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 0.70% of home value a year in North Carolina and 0.43% in South Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,345 against $1,333, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in North Carolina and 7.43% in South Carolina; North Carolina is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,887 a year in North Carolina, $5,915 in South Carolina. South Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Carolina's cost of living index is 94 and South Carolina's is 93, where 100 is the national average; South Carolina is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in North Carolina and $310K in South Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in South Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in North Carolina and $1,350 in South Carolina.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in North Carolina and $2,300 in South Carolina, so North Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 398 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 540 in South Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 36% lower. Property crime is 2,226 per 100,000 in North Carolina against 2,730 in South Carolina, again favoring North Carolina.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.7 years in North Carolina and 75.5 in South Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for North Carolina. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Carolina's health system 23rd of 50 and South Carolina's 38th, so North Carolina scores better on care.
11.8% of North Carolina residents have no health insurance against 13.1% in South Carolina, which favors North Carolina. North Carolina expanded Medicaid and South Carolina did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina's K-12 schools 29th in the country and South Carolina's 40th, 11 places apart in North Carolina's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points and South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points.
North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; South Carolina has permitless carry and a grade of F, so North Carolina regulates guns more tightly and South Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in North Carolina and banned with narrow exceptions in South Carolina, and marijuana is illegal in North Carolina and medical only in South Carolina as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Carolina and $7.25 in South Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 36 in North Carolina 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
9
North Carolina
6
South Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Carolina 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 $6,887); South Carolina on everyday costs (index 93 against 94); North Carolina on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 540); North Carolina on schools (ranked 29th against 40th).
Which is cheaper, North Carolina or South Carolina?
South Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 94. The median home is $335K in North Carolina and $310K in South Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes South Carolina saves a median household about $970 a year.
Does North Carolina or South Carolina have lower taxes?
South Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,887 a year in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 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, North Carolina or South Carolina?
North Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 398 per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 540 in South Carolina; property crime is 2,226 against 2,730.
Which has better schools, North Carolina or South Carolina?
North Carolina. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina 29th of 50 for K-12 and South Carolina 40th.
Is North Carolina or South Carolina better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. North Carolina 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 $2,345 a year in North Carolina and $1,333 in South Carolina.