Southeast · Updated October 2026
South Carolina in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,391/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
23.1%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
5.21%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.45%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
97.5
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
51st
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where South Carolina stands out: the 7th lightest state and local tax bill and the 5th lowest property taxes among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 10th highest violent crime.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.0% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 7th lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Columbia (Columbia station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 59°F | 36°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 76°F | 52°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 91°F | 71°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 76°F | 53°F |
$1,884/mo two-bedroom · $1,731 one-bedroom (Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA)
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.
$1,226/mo two-bedroom · $1,126 one-bedroom (Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
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.
$1,507/mo two-bedroom · $1,384 one-bedroom (Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
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.
$1,504/mo two-bedroom · $1,258 one-bedroom (Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Myrtle Beach is a sprawling, low-cost, tourism-driven resort strip with golf courses and a long stretch of sand. Seasonal employment, heavy summer traffic, a fast-growing retiree population and little in the way of professional career ladders.
$1,196/mo two-bedroom · $1,099 one-bedroom (Spartanburg, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Spartanburg is an upstate South Carolina city with a large BMW plant nearby, several colleges and a growing downtown. Cheaper than Greenville next door, with a strong manufacturing job base.
$1,102/mo two-bedroom · $1,012 one-bedroom (Anderson, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Anderson is a small upstate city near Lake Hartwell, between Greenville and Clemson. Low costs and lake life, with a small-city pace.
$2,010/mo two-bedroom · $1,844 one-bedroom (Beaufort County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Hilton Head Island is a resort island of golf courses, beaches and gated communities, popular with retirees. Expensive, very seasonal, and exposed to hurricanes.
$1,121/mo two-bedroom · $987 one-bedroom (Florence, SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Florence is a Pee Dee region city at the I-95 and I-20 crossroads, with regional healthcare and manufacturing. Very affordable, hot and humid, and about an hour from Myrtle Beach.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. South Carolina’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 5.21% (South Carolina tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.0% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,391 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,243, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $368 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 97.5 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 83.1 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 23.1% of the state’s median household income of $72,350.
South Carolina recorded 436.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 10th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are hurricanes and tornadoes. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Carolina’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 51st percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.