New York vs South Carolina: Cost of Living, Taxes, Rent and Safety Compared
Weighing a move between New York and South Carolina? Here’s how they compare on the numbers that decide most moves, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states.
Rent: a typical two-bedroom is $1,011 a month cheaper in South Carolina ($1,391 vs $2,402) — $12,132 a year, 42% less.
Income tax: South Carolina’s top rate is 5.21%, against 10.9% in New York.
State and local taxes: a median-income household would pay 5.0% of income in South Carolina vs 14.6% in New York — income, property and sales tax together.
Everyday costs: groceries, transport and other everyday spending run lower in South Carolina (index 97.5 vs 105.3, U.S. = 100).
Pay: median household income is $85,820 in New York and $72,350 in South Carolina.
Safety: New York has the lower violent crime rate (380.2 vs 436.7 per 100,000).
Weather: winter afternoons average 42°F in New York City and 59°F in Columbia; summer afternoons 83°F and 91°F.
Shaded cells are the lower-cost, higher-income or lower-risk figure. Indexes: U.S. average = 100.
What it means for your budget
Rent alone: moving from New York to South Carolina changes a typical two-bedroom rent by −$1,011 a month (−$12,132 a year); the move the other way flips the sign. Taxes, pay, insurance and the move itself shift too, and how much depends on your income, your household and the city you pick.
That’s exactly what Locustep’s Net-Impact Report works out: your take-home pay after state and local taxes in both places, rent or buy for your budget, insurance and moving costs, and the month the move pays for itself.
Which state fits you better?
On Locustep’s directional scores, New York leads on healthcare, schools, remote-work infrastructure, infrastructure and transport, walkability and airport access. Which of those matters depends entirely on you.
Where people look in each state
New York
New York City
$2,971/mo two-bedroom
New York is the densest, most transit-dependent and most culturally saturated place in the country — you can live well without a car and eat anything at any hour. Housing costs are extreme, space is minimal, and the pace is relentless.
Buffalo
$1,423/mo two-bedroom
Buffalo is an affordable Great Lakes city with extraordinary architecture, a strong food identity and famously heavy lake-effect snow. Winters are the defining fact; housing is among the cheapest in the Northeast.
Rochester
$1,416/mo two-bedroom
Rochester is a former Kodak and Xerox city with strong universities, a music conservatory and very low housing costs. Snowy, quietly liveable, and close to the Finger Lakes.
Charleston is a beautiful, historic, heavily touristed coastal city with an outstanding restaurant scene and a growing aerospace and tech sector. Serious flooding and hurricane exposure, oppressive summers, and housing costs well above the state norm.
Columbia
$1,226/mo two-bedroom
Columbia is South Carolina's inland capital and university city — very affordable, very hot in summer, with government, education and Fort Jackson driving the economy. A quieter, less scenic alternative to the coast.
Greenville
$1,507/mo two-bedroom
Greenville has an unusually good downtown for its size, with a waterfall park in the centre and a walkable main street, plus a strong manufacturing base including BMW. Affordable, growing quickly, and close to the Blue Ridge.
Is it cheaper to live in New York or South Carolina?
On rent, South Carolina is cheaper: a typical two-bedroom is $1,391 a month against $2,402 (HUD FY2027). Everyday costs, housing excluded, index at 105.3 in New York and 97.5 in South Carolina (U.S. = 100). Whether you come out ahead also depends on your pay and taxes in each state.
Which has lower taxes, New York or South Carolina?
South Carolina. A married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.0% of it in state and local taxes, against 14.6% in New York (Locustep estimate). Top income-tax rates are 10.9% in New York and 5.21% in South Carolina.
Is New York safer than South Carolina?
By violent crime, New York is lower: 380.2 per 100,000 residents against 436.7 (FBI, 2024). On natural hazards, FEMA puts New York at the 12th percentile and South Carolina at the 51st (lower is safer).
Which has better weather, New York or South Carolina?
It depends what you want. Winter afternoons average 42°F in New York City and 59°F in Columbia; summer afternoons 83°F and 91°F (NOAA 1991–2020). New York: four distinct seasons. South Carolina: hot & humid, subtropical.