State comparison
South Carolina vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $2,200 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 9 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: South Carolina vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.43% of home value a year in South Carolina and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,333 against $1,575, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.43% in South Carolina and 9.55% in Tennessee; 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
South Carolina's cost of living index is 93 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $310K in South Carolina and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in South Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in South Carolina and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $2,300 a year in South Carolina and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Tennessee is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 540 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 24% lower. Property crime is 2,730 per 100,000 in South Carolina against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring South Carolina.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in South Carolina and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for South Carolina. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Carolina's health system 38th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so South Carolina scores better on care.
13.1% of South Carolina residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Tennessee. 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 Tennessee's 41st, 1 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 Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
South Carolina has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in South Carolina and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in South Carolina and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 34 in South Carolina and 36 in Tennessee (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
5
Tennessee
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is South Carolina or Tennessee better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $5,915); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 93); South Carolina on safety (540 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); South Carolina on schools (ranked 40th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, South Carolina or Tennessee?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 93. The median home is $310K in South Carolina and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does South Carolina or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Carolina or Tennessee?
South Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 540 per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 2,730 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, South Carolina or Tennessee?
South Carolina. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Carolina 40th of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is South Carolina or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. South Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Tennessee 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 $1,575 in Tennessee.