Overall
86.8
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Florence, SC
Cost-of-living indicators for Florence, SC, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.8
- Overall RPP
- #356
- of 387 metros
- 52.4
- Rents RPP
- $115K
- $100K national buys
Florence ranks #356 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 2.3 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Grand Forks
The verdict
Florence costs less than 92% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.8, 13.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 52.4.
- bottom 8%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $115,242 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,774.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Florence's overall RPP fell -1.4 points, from 88.2 in 2023 to 86.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 57.2 to 52.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 2.3 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 4.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Florence overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 84.5 |
| 2009 | 85.2 |
| 2010 | 87.3 |
| 2011 | 88.6 |
| 2012 | 89.6 |
| 2013 | 88.8 |
| 2014 | 88.4 |
| 2015 | 89.9 |
| 2016 | 89.5 |
| 2017 | 88.7 |
| 2018 | 88.1 |
| 2019 | 87.6 |
| 2020 | 86.4 |
| 2021 | 90.5 |
| 2022 | 87.8 |
| 2023 | 88.2 |
| 2024 | 86.8 |
Florence vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
87 Bottom 8% higher than 8% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Florence cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
52.4 RPP
- Services
Services
87.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Florence's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 52.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Florence's cost comes from
Metros near Florence's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Florence (Florence, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 52.4
- Grand Forks: goods RPP 95.6, rents RPP 59.7
- Grand Island: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 61.7
- Laredo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 59.7
- Minot: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 63.2
- Waterloo: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 63.1
- Parkersburg: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 45.9
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
87.7
Cheap
Rents
52.4
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Florence's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Florence: rents index at 52.4, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 86.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Wildwood-The Villages, FL, Gadsden, AL. They resemble Florence across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Florence's overall index has risen by 2.3 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$86,774
in Florence, SC purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,387
$75,000 nationally
$65,081
$125,000 nationally
$108,468
$150,000 nationally
$130,161
$200,000 nationally
$173,548
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
95/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
95th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
SC-relative analysis
Goods prices places Florence, SC near the bottom of SC's metros
Among the 8 SC metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Florence, SC ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Florence, SC only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 8
0th percentile in SC
Services prices
#7 of 8
13th percentile in SC
Rent prices
#8 of 8
0th percentile in SC
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within SC only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Florence, SC: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (86.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (52.4 here).
Other SC Metros
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 101.0 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 98.0 Columbia, SC 93.7 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 93.3 Spartanburg, SC 91.1
View all SC metros → Cheapest in SC → Most expensive in SC →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Florence's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.9 · Rents 51.3 Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 89.0 · Rents 51.7 Gadsden, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 86.7 · Rents 53.7 Albany, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 54.6 Anniston-Oxford, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 87.1 · Rents 54.7 Terre Haute, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.6 · Rents 51.9
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Florence, SC's index of 86.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Florence
How to read Florence's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $115,242 in Florence. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 52.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Florence head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Florence, SC?
Florence, SC has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.8, meaning it is 13.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 87.7, and rents at 52.4. It ranks #356 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Florence, SC to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,774 in Florence, SC. Conversely, $100K earned in Florence, SC has the purchasing power of $115,242 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Florence, SC?
Rents in Florence, SC are indexed at 52.4, which is 47.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Florence, SC getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Florence, SC's overall cost index changed by +2.3 points (from 84.5 to 86.8). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Florence, SC?
The priciest category in Florence, SC is goods at 96.3, 3.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 52.4, 47.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Florence, SC?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Grand Forks, Grand Island, Laredo. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Florence, SC's 86.8.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.