State comparison
South Carolina vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
South Carolina costs a median household about $3,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,333 a year against $4,304 in Wisconsin.
South Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 4 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: South Carolina vs Wisconsin
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. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 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 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,333 against $4,304, so South Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.43% in South Carolina and 5.43% in Wisconsin; Wisconsin 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, $8,868 in Wisconsin. 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 Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $310K in South Carolina and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in South Carolina and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $2,300 a year in South Carolina and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 540 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 83% lower. Property crime is 2,730 per 100,000 in South Carolina against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in South Carolina and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Carolina's health system 38th of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
13.1% of South Carolina residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. 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 Wisconsin's 11th, 29 places apart in Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
South Carolina has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in South Carolina and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is medical only in South Carolina and illegal in Wisconsin as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in South Carolina and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in South Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood), so Wisconsin is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 34 in South Carolina and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good).
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
4
South Carolina
10
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is South Carolina or Wisconsin better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. South Carolina on taxes ($5,915 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 540); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 40th).
Which is cheaper, South Carolina or Wisconsin?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 93. The median home is $310K in South Carolina and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes South Carolina saves a median household about $3,000 a year.
Does South Carolina or Wisconsin 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 $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Carolina or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 540 per 100,000 residents in South Carolina and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,730 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, South Carolina or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Carolina 40th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th.
Is South Carolina or Wisconsin better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. South Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wisconsin does not tax 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 $4,304 in Wisconsin.