South Carolinaincome tax up to 6.2%, 3rd lowest property tax, median home $310K

Worth knowing before you move to South Carolina

South Carolina has a two-bracket income tax with a top rate of 5.21% for 2026, does not tax Social Security, and exempts up to $10,000 of retirement income per person. Owner-occupied homes are assessed at 4% instead of 6%, which keeps property taxes among the lowest in the country. Charleston, Greenville and the coastal counties have drawn heavy in-migration; hurricane exposure runs the length of the coast.

What South Carolina taxes, and what it doesn't

South Carolina levies a graduated income tax that tops out at 6.2%. A household earning $75,000 pays an effective 3.9%, about $2,942 a year; at $150,000 the effective rate is 4.6%. Among the 41 states that tax income, South Carolina has the 15th lowest effective rate at $100,000 of income.

Property tax runs 0.43% of home value a year, roughly $1,333 on the state's median home of $310K. The national effective rate is about 1.10%, and South Carolina has the 3rd lowest rate of the 50 states.

Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.43%, the 17th highest in the country (the state portion is 6%).

For retirees: Social Security benefits are not taxed, pension income is partly exempt, and there is no estate or inheritance tax.

Capital gains are taxed at a special rate of 4.7%.

Housing and the cost of living in South Carolina

South Carolina's cost of living index is 93, where 100 is the national average; that is the 19th cheapest of the 50 states.

The median home costs $310K, 2% above the national figure and the 19th lowest among the states. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month.

Carrying costs matter as much as the price: home insurance averages $2,300 a year, flood coverage adds about $1,100 where it is needed, car insurance runs $1,730.

Budget $145 a month for electricity and gas, $450 a month in groceries for two, $950 a month for full-time infant care.

Safety, health and schools

Violent crime is 540 incidents per 100,000 residents in the FBI's 2023 Crime Data Explorer figures, above the median state (387); South Carolina is the 9th most violent of the 50 by that measure. Property crime is 2,730 per 100,000.

Life expectancy is 75.5 years (County Health Rankings 2024). 13.1% of residents have no health insurance, and the state has not expanded Medicaid. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Carolina's health system 38th of 50.

Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks K-12 schools 40th in the country, and the state runs a school-choice voucher program.

Politics, guns and social policy

Politically, South Carolina is a solidly Republican state that went to Trump by 13 points in 2024.

On guns, no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun, and Giffords grades the state's gun laws F.

Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions. Marijuana is medical only. South Carolina is a right-to-work state, and the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Climate, risk and getting around

Natural disaster risk is high. The main hazards are hurricane, tornado, flood. Annual average air quality index is 34 (under 50 is good).

South Carolina has no top-25 hub airport, with about 65 nonstop destinations from its busiest airport.