The short answer: Georgia has Atlanta and a slightly lower flat income tax. South Carolina has a lower property tax burden, stronger retirement deductions, no estate tax, and was the fastest-growing state in the country in 2025. Hurricane exposure is comparable and low for both.
| Income tax | GA flat rate · SC 1.99% / 5.21% |
|---|---|
| Median property tax paid | SC $1,337 · US median $3,211 |
| Social Security | Neither state taxes it |
| Hurricane strikes 1851–2010 | GA 23 (3 major) · SC 30 (6 major, zero Cat 5) |
| Movers GA → SC (2024) | 16,000 — SC's #4 origin state |
| Population growth 2025 | SC #1 fastest-growing state |
Sources: Census ACS 2024, Tax Foundation, MERIC Q1 2026, NOAA, Census Vintage 2025.
If you need Atlanta — the airport, the corporate market — Georgia wins on access. If you're optimising for the annual cost of owning a home, retirement tax treatment, or small-town life near a coast, South Carolina is the stronger pick. 16,000 Georgians made that move in 2024.
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 →
South Carolina has the edge on tax structure: both exempt Social Security, but SC adds a $10,000 retirement-income deduction at 65+, a $15,000 age-65 deduction, a Homestead Exemption on the first $50,000 of home value, and 100% exempt military retirement — with no estate tax.
South Carolina. It was the fastest-growing state in the nation in 2025, adding 1.5% to reach 5,570,274 residents, with 66,622 net domestic in-migrants.
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.