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