State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in South Carolina
Statewide Regional Price Parities for South Carolina from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 8 metro areas.
- 93.7
- Statewide RPP
- #33
- of 51 states by cost
- 80.5
- Rents RPP
- 8
- Metro areas
South Carolina ranks #33 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- rose +0.3 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Wisconsin
The verdict
South Carolina costs less than 65% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 93.7, 6.3% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 80.5
- Wisconsin
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.3 points away
- Charleston-North Charleston
- highest-cost metro, 101.0
- Florence
- lowest-cost metro, 86.8
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $106,668 when earned in South Carolina.
Metro areas in South Carolina, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston-North Charleston | 101.0 | 96.3 | 88.2 | 119.8 |
| 2 | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | 98.0 | 96.3 | 88.1 | 101.2 |
| 3 | Columbia | 93.7 | 96.3 | 88.3 | 79.5 |
| 4 | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach | 93.6 | 96.3 | 88.0 | 83.1 |
| 5 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer | 93.3 | 96.3 | 88.8 | 76.8 |
| 6 | Spartanburg | 91.1 | 96.3 | 88.3 | 68.0 |
| 7 | Sumter | 88.0 | 96.3 | 87.3 | 60.8 |
| 8 | Florence | 86.8 | 96.3 | 87.7 | 52.4 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Reading the South Carolina Cost of Living Picture
South Carolina sits in an affordability lane closest to Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina. A lower statewide index does not mean every place or budget category is cheap; it means this state belongs with those peers before a household narrows to a metro. Its category range is 15.8 points: large enough to separate housing-sensitive and service-heavy budgets, but not a single-component outlier.
South Carolina captures 8 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Charleston-North Charleston, SC leads on cost at 101.0, while Florence, SC sits at the opposite end at 86.8 - a gap of 14.2 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 96.3, for services 88.3, and for rents 80.5. Rents sit within 13.3 points of the statewide index, so no single category is distorting the headline — unusual, and it makes the state number more transferable between households than most.
Over time, South Carolina's statewide index has held steady within 1.8 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $106,668 of national buying power when earned inside South Carolina, and a household relocating here would need roughly $93,749 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 8 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
South Carolina vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
94 Bottom 35% higher than 35% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
South Carolina RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 1.8 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.0 |
| 2009 | 91.0 |
| 2010 | 92.7 |
| 2011 | 93.2 |
| 2012 | 93.4 |
| 2013 | 93.3 |
| 2014 | 93.2 |
| 2015 | 93.3 |
| 2016 | 93.6 |
| 2017 | 92.8 |
| 2018 | 92.2 |
| 2019 | 91.5 |
| 2020 | 90.9 |
| 2021 | 93.6 |
| 2022 | 93.3 |
| 2023 | 93.5 |
| 2024 | 93.7 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
South Carolina's overall RPP rose +0.3 points, from 93.5 in 2023 to 93.7 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 85.8 to 88.3. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
What this means in South Carolina
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within South Carolina.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Charleston-North Charleston (101.0) and Florence (86.8) sit 14 index points apart inside South Carolina. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 80.5 (19.5% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing South Carolina against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to South Carolina, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for South Carolina: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (93.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (80.5 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheaper is living in South Carolina than the U.S. average?
South Carolina has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 93.7, meaning it is 6.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 88.3, and rents at 80.5.
What salary in South Carolina equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $93,749 in South Carolina. Conversely, $100K earned in South Carolina has the purchasing power of $106,668 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in South Carolina?
Rents in South Carolina are indexed at 80.5, which is 19.5% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which metros stretch South Carolina's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in South Carolina is Charleston-North Charleston, SC with an RPP of 101.0. The most affordable is Florence, SC at 86.8. There are 8 metro areas in South Carolina with BEA price data.
Is South Carolina getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, South Carolina's overall cost index changed by +1.8 points (from 92.0 to 93.7). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.