The short answer: North Carolina has a lower flat income tax (3.99% vs SC's 5.21% top rate), but South Carolina wins decisively on property tax — a median of $1,337 versus North Carolina's higher bills — and on retirement treatment. Notably, 33,200 North Carolinians moved to South Carolina in 2024, more than from any other state.
| Income tax | NC 3.99% flat · SC 1.99% / 5.21% |
|---|---|
| Median property tax paid | SC $1,337 · US median $3,211 |
| Social Security | Neither state taxes it |
| Estate tax | Neither has one |
| Hurricane strikes 1851–2010 | NC 51 (12 major) · SC 30 (6 major, zero Cat 5) |
| Population growth 2025 | SC #1 fastest-growing state (+1.5%) |
| Movers NC → SC (2024) | 33,200 — SC's largest origin state |
Sources: Census ACS 2024, Tax Foundation, MERIC Q1 2026, NOAA, Census Vintage 2025.
If you want a large metro job market, North Carolina probably wins. If you're retiring, working remotely, or optimising for carrying costs on a home, South Carolina's property tax and retirement rules are hard to beat — and the fact that 33,200 North Carolinians moved south in a single year suggests plenty of people run that math and act on it.
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 →
On housing carrying costs, generally yes — South Carolina's overall cost of living index is 91.9 with housing at 79.8, and the median property tax bill is $1,337. North Carolina's flat 3.99% income tax is lower than SC's 5.21% top rate, so the answer depends on whether your money goes mostly to income or to property.
They're similar; South Carolina is marginally milder and drier of snow. Columbia averages 1.2 inches of snow a year. South Carolina has also recorded fewer hurricane strikes — 30 versus North Carolina's 51 between 1851 and 2010, with zero Category 5 events.
South Carolina, on the tax rules. Both states 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 value, 100% exempt military retirement, and no estate tax.
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.