State comparison
South Carolina vs South Dakota: which state is better to live in?
South Dakota costs a median household about $1,200 a year less in state and local taxes than South Carolina, mostly because it has no income tax.
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 2 categories
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: South Carolina vs South Dakota
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 Dakota has no state income tax. South Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.43% of home value a year in South Carolina and 1.08% in South Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,333 against $3,348, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.43% in South Carolina and 6.11% in South Dakota; South Dakota 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, $4,715 in South Dakota. South Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
South Carolina's cost of living index is 93 and South Dakota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; South Carolina is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $310K in South Carolina and $310K in South Dakota (Zillow, 2024). A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in South Carolina and $1,150 in South Dakota.
Home insurance averages $2,300 a year in South Carolina and $2,100 in South Dakota, so South Dakota is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 540 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 388 in South Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 39% lower. Property crime is 2,730 per 100,000 in South Carolina against 2,027 in South Dakota, again favoring South Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in South Carolina and 78.2 in South Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for South Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Carolina's health system 38th of 50 and South Dakota's 28th, so South Dakota scores better on care.
13.1% of South Carolina residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in South Dakota, which favors South Dakota. South Dakota 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 South Dakota's 31st, 9 places apart in South Dakota's favor. South Carolina runs a school-choice voucher program; South Dakota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election South Carolina went to Trump by 13 points and South Dakota went to Trump by 27 points.
South Carolina has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; South Dakota 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 $11.20 in South Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought), so South Dakota is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 34 in South Carolina and 30 in South Dakota (under 50 is good), favoring South Dakota.
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
2
South Carolina
11
South Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is South Carolina or South Dakota better to live in?
South Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. South Dakota on taxes ($4,715 a year for a median household against $5,915); South Carolina on everyday costs (index 93 against 95); South Dakota on safety (388 violent crimes per 100,000 against 540); South Dakota on schools (ranked 31st against 40th).
Which is cheaper, South Carolina or South Dakota?
South Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 95. The median home is $310K in South Carolina and $310K in South Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $1,200 a year.
Does South Carolina or South Dakota have lower taxes?
South Dakota. 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 $4,715 in South Dakota ($0 income tax, $3,348 property tax on the median home and $1,367 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Carolina or South Dakota?
South Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 540 per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 388 in South Dakota; property crime is 2,730 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, South Carolina or South Dakota?
South Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Carolina 40th of 50 for K-12 and South Dakota 31st. South Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is South Carolina or South Dakota better for retirees?
South Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. South Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; South Dakota 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 $3,348 in South Dakota.