The short answer: South Carolina's overall cost of living index is 91.9 (US = 100), the 17th lowest in the country. But the advantage is almost entirely housing at 79.8. Groceries (98.6), utilities (95.1) and healthcare (97.6) are within about three points of the national average — and electricity bills and homeowners insurance actually run slightly above it.
| Housing | 79.8 — 20.2% below national |
|---|---|
| Transportation | 94.6 |
| Utilities | 95.1 |
| Healthcare | 97.6 |
| Miscellaneous | 97.3 |
| Groceries | 98.6 — essentially national average |
| Overall | 91.9 (17th lowest in the US) |
Same quarter, for comparison: Massachusetts 147.8 · New York 124.7 · New Jersey 118.8 · Connecticut 114.2 · Pennsylvania 96.2. Source: MERIC Q1 2026.
| Median home sale price | SC $342,900 · US $408,800 |
|---|---|
| Median owner-occupied value | SC $299,500 · US $360,600 |
| Median gross rent | SC $1,272 · US $1,487 |
| Median property tax paid | SC $1,337 · US $3,211 |
And in the small towns the gap widens sharply — county median home values of $116,200 (Chesterfield), $158,200 (Darlington) and $162,500 (Colleton), against a US median owner-occupied value of $332,700.
Worth knowing: median household income is also lower — $72,350 against $81,604 nationally, about 11% below. The housing gap is bigger than the income gap, which is the arbitrage remote workers and retirees are acting on.
If your budget is dominated by housing — a mortgage, property tax, rent — South Carolina is meaningfully cheaper, and dramatically so in the small towns. If your budget is dominated by groceries, utilities and healthcare, expect roughly national-average pricing.
The single largest recurring saving for most movers isn't the sticker price of the house. It's the annual property tax: $1,337 median in South Carolina against $9,358 in New Jersey, $6,573 in Connecticut, $6,542 in New York and $6,080 in Massachusetts.
Project Hometown SC works in three South Carolina communities. Each runs its own program, with its own resident ambassadors and its own application — those community sites are where you apply.
Living history on the Pee Dee — a 7,361-acre state park, Dizzy Gillespie's birthplace, and county median home values around $116,200.
A Fortune 500 headquarters, a university downtown, and a public STEM school Niche ranked #1 in South Carolina.
The Front Porch of the Lowcountry — an hour from Charleston, with a 600-acre wild sanctuary inside the city limits.
Not ready to apply? Read our background pages first: Cheraw · Hartsville · Walterboro
Have a question about the overall program rather than one town? Ask us directly →
Yes, but unevenly. The overall index is 91.9 against a national 100 — 17th lowest in the country — and that's driven almost entirely by housing at 79.8. Groceries (98.6), utilities (95.1) and healthcare (97.6) are close to national average.
The rate is cheap; the bill isn't. South Carolina's residential electricity rate is 13.7% below the national average, but households use 21.7% more electricity for air conditioning — producing an average monthly bill of $149.51 versus $142.26 nationally.
The statewide median sale price was $342,900 (April 2026) against a national $408,800. In the small towns it's far lower — county median owner-occupied values run $116,200 in Chesterfield County, $158,200 in Darlington and $162,500 in Colleton.
It's about average, not cheap: the state's average HO-3 premium is $1,571 versus $1,569 countrywide (NAIC). Coastal properties face higher wind and hail exposure than inland ones, so the statewide average conceals a real split.
Pick a community and a resident ambassador reaches out for a real conversation — no pitch, just questions and answers. Applications are handled on each town's own site.