State comparison
South Carolina vs Colorado: 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.
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 9 categories
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: South Carolina vs Colorado
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. 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 wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.43% of home value a year in South Carolina and 0.48% in Colorado (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,333 against $2,616, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.43% in South Carolina and 7.76% in Colorado; 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, $7,634 in Colorado. 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 Colorado's is 110, where 100 is the national average; South Carolina is about 18% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $310K in South Carolina and $545K in Colorado (Zillow, 2024), a $235K gap in South Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in South Carolina and $1,850 in Colorado.
Home insurance averages $2,300 a year in South Carolina and $2,800 in Colorado, so South Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 540 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 453 in Colorado (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 19% lower. Property crime is 2,730 per 100,000 in South Carolina against 2,859 in Colorado, again favoring South Carolina.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in South Carolina and 78.8 in Colorado (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Carolina's health system 38th of 50 and Colorado's 9th, so Colorado scores better on care.
13.1% of South Carolina residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Colorado, which favors Colorado. Colorado expanded Medicaid and South Carolina did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Carolina's K-12 schools 40th in the country and Colorado's 9th, 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 South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points and Colorado went to Harris by 11 points.
South Carolina has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and South Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in South Carolina and protected by state law in Colorado, and marijuana is medical only in South Carolina and legal for adults in Colorado as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in South Carolina and $14.42 in Colorado.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado). Annual average air quality index is 34 in South Carolina and 50 in Colorado (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
South Carolina
7
Colorado
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 South Carolina or Colorado 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, South Carolina or Colorado?
South Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 110. The median home is $310K in South Carolina and $545K in Colorado (2024). On state and local taxes South Carolina saves a median household about $1,700 a year.
Does South Carolina or Colorado 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 $7,634 in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Carolina or Colorado?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 540 per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 453 in Colorado; property crime is 2,730 against 2,859.
Which has better schools, South Carolina or Colorado?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Carolina 40th of 50 for K-12 and Colorado 9th. South Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is South Carolina or Colorado better for retirees?
South Carolina is friendlier to retirees on paper. South Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,333 a year in South Carolina and $2,616 in Colorado.