Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to South Carolina

You think about moving to South Carolina but want to get more information about overall quality of life, job prospects, income levels, housing situation, living costs, climate, safety, cultural diversity and much more so you can make a profound decision for yourself taking into account your personal preferences and circumstances in this regard?

Great! This article is for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in South Carolina in the following chapters.

Living in South Carolina – Overview

Advantages of Living in South Carolina

1. Housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of South Carolina
2. Many housing options for families as well as for single households
3. You will likely find a decent place to stay rather quickly
4. Overall competition in the South Carolina housing market is rather limited
5. Rents are still affordable in most parts of South Carolina
6. Property prices are lower than in many other states
7. Many people are still able to buy decent homes without overextending themselves
8. Rather low living costs in South Carolina
9. Many people in South Carolina are still able to live the American dream
10. Rather low financial pressure for people moving to South Carolina
11. You don’t have to make a great income to afford a decent lifestyle
12. People in South Carolina can enjoy lots of beautiful nature
13. You can go fishing, hunting and do many other nice things outdoors
14. You can live a productive life in South Carolina
15. Doing nature activities may keep you fit
16. Decent air quality in many parts of South Carolina
17. People moving to South Carolina can live a pretty original lifestyle
18. Moving to South Carolina may help you slow down your life
19. South Carolina may be a great state to live a self-sufficient lifestyle
20. You may be able to find your inner peace in South Carolina
21. Moving to South Carolina makes sense if you don’t like big city life
22. Many nice day trips you can make in South Carolina
23. South Carolina may be a great place for your kids to grow up
24. You can teach your kids a lot about nature
25. Decent education in the big cities of South Carolina
26. You will find some decent bars and clubs in the urban regions
27. You can meet many helpful people in South Carolina
28. South Carolina is a pretty tolerant place
29. Easy to socialize in most parts of South Carolina
30. South Carolina is located at the coast
31. South Carolina may be a great place to retire
32. South Carolina may be an interesting place for students
33. Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of South Carolina
34. Many quiet spaces to relax in South Carolina
35. South Caroline is not a crowded state
36. South Carolina is not flooded by tourists yet
37. You have more than enough space for yourself in public
38. Decent level of cultural diversity in the big cities
39. You can try many delicious foods in South Carolina
40. South Carolina is not the most hectic place
41. People in South Carolina may not solely care about their careers
42. Warm weather is attractive to many people in South Carolina
43. Decent public infrastructure in the urban parts of South Carolina
44. Easy to get to the major cities of South Carolina
45. South Carolina may be an underrated state

Housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of South Carolina

One advantage of moving to South Carolina is that housing shortage is still not a big problem in most regions yet.

Sure, it can cost you some nerves to find a place to stay in the most popular cities.

Yet, you may still have an easier time in this regard compared to people moving to San José or other much more crowded regions where housing shortage is a much more serious problem.

Many housing options for families as well as for single households

It also doesn’t matter whether you search for a home only for yourself but also have a big family and need a far bigger place since you will have more than enough housing options and can just choose the option that fits best to your personal preferences and financial circumstances.

You will likely find a decent place to stay rather quickly

Since housing shortage may not be as severe as in many other states, many people in South Carolina also find a decent place to stay rather quickly and don’t have to search for many months or even years as people moving to San Francisco or other regions with higher demand for housing often have to do.

Overall competition in the South Carolina housing market is rather limited

In general, also overall competition in the housing market of South Carolina may be rather limited in many regions and you may therefore not have to compete with as many potential buyers and may even be able to buy a home below market value if you are lucky and also know what you are doing.

Rents are still affordable in most parts of South Carolina

While rents may be significant in the biggest cities of South Carolina, there are still many cheap places to rent in the rural parts of the state and you may therefore not have to spend a big fraction of your household income on housing yet and may have enough money left to save and invest for retirement and other important things of life.

Property prices are lower than in many other states

Not only rents are rather affordable but also property prices are rather low in many parts of South Carolina and you don’t have to spend a fortune for buying a decent home in most regions.

Many people are still able to buy decent homes without overextending themselves

Since property prices in many parts of South Carolina are still fairly low, many people in those regions are still able to buy a home without having to financially overextend themselves and their mortgage rates may also be far lower compared to people moving to Washington D.C. or other much more expensive regions.

Rather low living costs in South Carolina

Another upside to moving to South Carolina is that living costs are often pretty low and this can be great for you since you may be able to afford many more nice things compared to people living in more expensive regions since you just don’t have to spend as much money on drinks and various other things of life.

Many people in South Carolina are still able to live the American dream

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, many people in South Carolina are still able to live the classic American dream including owning a nice home, a solid car and so on while this may be almost impossible for people moving to Seattle or other regions where everything is far more expensive and people who make an average income are barely able to pay for their basic expenses.

Rather low financial pressure for people moving to South Carolina

Compared to many other regions in the US, also overall financial pressure for people living in South Carolina may be lower on average since they may not have to pay as much money on their mortgage rates, rents or other important expenses and may be better able to build a certain financial buffer that they may be able to use during emergencies.

You don’t have to make a great income to afford a decent lifestyle

Another benefit of moving to South Carolina is that due to rather low living and housing costs, you also don’t have to make a really high income to afford a decent lifestyle in this region and you may also have to work fewer extra hours due to that and may have more time to spend with your loved ones and on your favorite hobbies.

People in South Carolina can enjoy lots of beautiful nature

You should also know that you can spend lots of time in beautiful nature in the South Carolina region and this gives you the opportunity to relax at nice lakes, forests and mountains which may help you reload your batteries and may also give you a certain feeling of peace so you may be able to stay emotionally balanced in the long run.

You can go fishing, hunting and do many other nice things outdoors

Since there are many nice nature reserves, people in South Carolina also have many opportunities to go fishing, camping, hunting and to do many other nice things outdoors so you can get lots of oxygen and your body and your brain may be able to work in a proper manner in the long run and you may also get into a pretty good mood in general.

You can live a productive life in South Carolina

Since you can go fishing, hunting and foraging for food, you will also be able to spend your leisure in a pretty productive manner and may be able to relax while you can also do good for your finances since you may have to buy fewer things from the store.

Doing nature activities may keep you fit

Since there are so many nice things you can do in South Carolina nature, you will also be able to exercise in a completely natural manner and burn lots of calories so your need of going to the gym to stay in shape may be rather limited.

Decent air quality in many parts of South Carolina

Another advantage of living in South Carolina is that you will also find many places with pretty decent air quality and this may help you stay fit and vital since it may reduce your risk of suffering from serious pulmonary issues.

People moving to South Carolina can live a pretty original lifestyle

Since South Carolina has so many nice natural regions, you may also be able to live a pretty original lifestyle similar to our ancestors hundreds of years ago so you may be able to preserve some noble traditions while you can still use our modern technologies to make your life more comfortable to get the best of both worlds.

Moving to South Carolina may help you slow down your life

Another great thing about living in South Carolina is that you may also be able to greatly slow down your life since you can spend many nice days outdoors and may be able to relax at nice nature reserves and if you currently feel stressed in busy places, chances are that moving to South Carolina could help you become more emotionally stable since you may just be able to live a more relaxed life in general.

South Carolina may be a great state to live a self-sufficient lifestyle

Also in case you no longer want to rely on conventional stores to get what you need for daily life and want to become independent of society, moving to South Carolina may make quite a lot of sense since you may be able to buy a large piece of land, raise cattle, grow your own fruits and veggies and care for yourself for most parts of life.

You may be able to find your inner peace in South Carolina

In general, since you can live a pretty original lifestyle, you may also be able to find your true self and inner peace in the rural parts of South Carolina and this may help you become a much stronger character so you may be able to master difficult situations in life much better than people who have never learned who they really are.

Moving to South Carolina makes sense if you don’t like big city life

Also in case you just don’t want to spend your life in a big city but rather want to live in a rather quiet environment with many green spaces around you, moving to South Carolina can make sense since there are just not many really big metropolitan regions and you will find countless opportunities to hang out in nature.

Many nice day trips you can make in South Carolina

Since there are so many nice things you can do in nature, you will also have the opportunity to make many nice day trips with your loved ones on a regular basis and this can not only be pretty entertaining but it may also help you relax quite a lot at the same time.

South Carolina may be a great place for your kids to grow up

In general, South Carolina may also be a great place to raise your kids since they can spend lots of time outdoors and may also learn what it means to work and care for your loved ones at a rather young age so they may become responsible members of society rather quickly.

You can teach your kids a lot about nature

Another upside to living in South Carolina is that since you can spend lots of time in nature with your family, you can also learn quite a lot about natural processes and can hand this knowledge over to the next generation so you can teach your kids quite a lot in this regard and your kids may be able to turn into responsible grownups and may care about protecting our environment much more than many other people out there.

Decent education in the big cities of South Carolina

As long as you move to the biggest cities of South Carolina, you will also find decent schools and colleges and can make sure your kids get solid education so they will have good chances of finding a decent job later on.

You will find some decent bars and clubs in the urban regions

You will also find some pretty interesting bars in the urban regions of South Carolina and even though you should not expect to find the same great nightlife as people living in Las Vegas, you may still be able to have a great time with many like-minded people.

You can meet many helpful people in South Carolina

You should also know that many people in South Carolina are pretty helpful and this is great news for you since during the first days or weeks at your new home, you may need help from various people to get important things done and to become a valued member of society rather quickly.

South Carolina is a pretty tolerant place

Another benefit of living in South Carolina is that it is also a pretty tolerant place where people are welcome no matter where they come from and you therefore don’t have to worry about your background at all and can have a great time with many people from different parts of the US or even the world.

Easy to socialize in most parts of South Carolina

Since you can meet many friendly and open people in South Carolina, you may also have an easy time socializing in most parts of the state and may be able to make many new social connections and really good friends rather quickly so your risk of becoming socially isolated will be rather low.

South Carolina is located at the coast

Since South Carolina has a broad coastline, you will also be able to go surfing, swimming or just relax at the beach if you live close to the coastal regions while people living in Colorado or other regions with no coastlines will often envy you for having this luxury.

South Carolina may be a great place to retire

Since there are many nice things you can do in nature and public infrastructure is also pretty decent in the big cities, South Carolina may also be a great place to retire even for people who don’t receive a high pension but still want to spend the last chapter of their lives in a proper manner.

South Carolina may be an interesting place for students

South Carolina is not only a great place for the older generation but may also become increasingly attractive to students since living costs are much lower in most parts of South Carolina than in many other parts of the US and while students in Los Angeles often have to spend absurd amounts of money on their studies, people in South Carolina may be able to get a solid degree at lower overall costs.

Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of South Carolina

You should also know that traffic jams are rather rare in most regions of South Carolina and this is great news since you will be able to get around by car in a proper manner and may not have to waste as much time in traffic jams as in many other more crowded regions.

Many quiet spaces to relax in South Carolina

You will also find many parks and other green spaces in the big cities of South Carolina where you can relax and reload your batteries after work so you may be able to stay emotionally balanced in the long run.

South Caroline is not a crowded state

Another benefit of living in South Carolina is that it is just not the most crowded state and you will therefore not run into large groups of people on a regular basis but may rather be able to relax outdoors in a pretty quiet environment.

South Carolina is not flooded by tourists yet

You should also keep in mind that South Carolina is not the most popular place among tourists yet and you will therefore not get distracted by many people when leaving your home and may be able to live your life in a more efficient manner due to that.

You have more than enough space for yourself in public

In general, thanks to rather low population density, you will also have enough space for yourself in public and during times you just don’t want to have company and need to think about complex problems that need to be fixed, you can just sit down in one of those quiet spaces and really figure things out.

Decent level of cultural diversity in the big cities

You will also find high levels of cultural diversity in the biggest cities of South Carolina and can meet many interesting people from different regions all over the world and can also learn quite a lot by talking to those people and listening to the stories they have to tell.

You can try many delicious foods in South Carolina

Thanks to many different cultural influences, you will also be able to try many delicious foods from all over the world and you will therefore be able to greatly expand your culinary knowledge in the long run.

South Carolina is not the most hectic place

Due to low population density, South Carolina is also not the most hectic state and you will find many laid-back people whom you can just spend a great time with and will also find more than enough places to relax.

People in South Carolina may not solely care about their careers

Since people in South Carolina are often not as career-focused as in many other states, they may also be more eager to get in touch with you and you may be able to have more interesting conversations compared to regions where people often just rush from one meeting to the other and solely care about their careers.

Warm weather is attractive to many people in South Carolina

Moving to South Carolina can also be great due to the warm weather you will be able to experience in many regions of the state and while people living in Montana may have to deal with pretty cold weather during winter months, people in South Carolina will still be able to enjoy pretty warm climatic conditions.

Decent public infrastructure in the urban parts of South Carolina

As long as you move to one of the major cities of South Carolina, you will also have pretty decent public infrastructure and will find most things you need pretty close to your home.

Easy to get to the major cities of South Carolina

Since the big cities are well-connected to the world via airports and decent roads, your family members and friends from other parts of the US may also have a rather easy time visiting you in South Carolina and you may have many guests on a regular basis and may not feel lonely anytime soon.

South Carolina may be an underrated state

Since there are so many nice things to do in South Carolina at a rather affordable price level, South Carolina may still be considered an underrated state where you may be able to live a great life while you still don’t need to make a fortune to make a decent living.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to South Carolina.

Yet, you should also know that it is not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in South Carolina in the following so you will get a more realistic picture of reality and will be better able to decide for yourself whether you still want to move to South Carolina or rather want to spend your life in Oregon or other nice regions instead.

Disadvantages of Living in South Carolina

1. Lack of real seasons may get annoying in South Carolina
2. Risk of natural disasters may increase significantly in the future
3. Homeowners insurance will become more expensive in South Carolina
4. Rather low income level in South Carolina
5. Unemployment is a serious problem in many regions of South Carolina
6. South Carolina is not the safest state
7. Some parts of South Carolina have to deal with serious social problems
8. Hard to enjoy big city life in South Carolina
9. You may not find many fancy shopping opportunities in South Carolina
10. South Carolina may not be the most popular state
11. Public transport is not great in many parts of South Carolina
12. You may urgently need a car to get around in South Carolina in a proper manner
13. Hard to find good medical treatment in the rural parts of South Carolina
14. It may take you quite a long time to bring your kids to school
15. Distances are often pretty long in the rural parts of the state
16. Property prices and rents in South Carolina are about to increase significantly
17. Hard to find great museums in many parts of South Carolina
18. You may miss decent art scenes in the rural parts of the state
19. Limited number of entertainment options outside of the big cities
20. You may get bored with your life in South Caroline in the long run
21. Many people may have to leave South Carolina sooner or later
22. Nightlife is not really great in many parts of South Carolina
23. You may miss great sports teams in South Carolina
24. Cultural diversity may be rather limited in the many rural regions
25. You may not find as much action as you may have hoped for
26. Many young people may leave South Carolina sooner or later
27. Rather questionable future outlook for South Carolina

Lack of real seasons may get annoying in South Carolina

One problem with living in South Carolina is that due to the lack of real seasons, you may get fed up with warm weather all year long sooner or later and may envy people living in Detroit or other colder regions where people are able to experience snow on a regular basis.

Risk of natural disasters may increase significantly in the future

Due to climate change, also the overall risk of natural disasters in South Carolina will increase significantly in the future and in case you are unlucky, you may just get hit by one of those extreme events and may lose everything you have, including your home and your family.

Homeowners insurance will become more expensive in South Carolina

Since natural disasters will become more common in the future, also homeowners insurance will become more expensive in many regions of South Carolina which will make living in this state more expensive in general.

Rather low income level in South Carolina

Another downside to living in South Carolina is that income levels are still pretty low and many people are just not able to make as much money as they may have hoped for from their jobs and if your goal is to get wealthy as an employee as quickly as possible, you may be better off moving to New York City or other regions where income levels are far higher.

Unemployment is a serious problem in many regions of South Carolina

You should also know that unemployment rates in South Carolina are rather high in many areas and in case you don’t have proper education, you may have a hard time finding a decent job and may also often have to worry about losing your job and not finding a new one anytime soon.

South Carolina is not the safest state

Compared to the rest of the US, South Carolina also has to deal with pretty high crime rates and is therefore not considered the safest state.

Consequently, if you want to see your kids grow up in a pretty safe environment, you may be better off moving to Virginia Beach or other regions where crime rates are usually much lower.

Some parts of South Carolina have to deal with serious social problems

You should also not forget that South Carolina also has to deal with an increasing level of inequality which may lead to all sorts of social problems and further increasing crime rates in the long run.

Hard to enjoy big city life in South Carolina

Also in case you love big city life and need many skyscrapers and lots of action around you on a regular basis, you may just not get happy with your life in South Carolina since there are just not many big cities in this region and you will rather find some smaller towns where everything is just quieter and less busy.

You may not find many fancy shopping opportunities in South Carolina

Another disadvantage of living in South Carolina is that you will also not find as many fancy boutiques and shopping malls as in many other states and you may therefore not be able to follow latest fashion trends as well as in many other parts of the US where fashion plays a much bigger role.

South Carolina may not be the most popular state

While South Carolina has become increasingly popular over the past decades, it is still not as popular as many other regions in the US and your loved ones may therefore not understand your decision of moving to South Carolina and may want to convince you to move to other states instead.

Public transport is not great in many parts of South Carolina

You should also not forget that public transport infrastructure is rather limited outside of the big cities and you may therefore not be able to get around by bus or train in an efficient manner.

You may urgently need a car to get around in South Carolina in a proper manner

Since public transport is not great in many regions of South Carolina, you may also have to rely on your car to get around which is pretty bad for our environment and may also cause serious problems for people who are no longer able to drive and may just get stuck at home due to that since they will just not be mobile enough to get around anymore.

Hard to find good medical treatment in the rural parts of South Carolina

Another problem with moving to South Carolina is that overall medical infrastructure is not great outside of the big cities and if you want to move to a rather remote region, it may take you quite a long time to find a decent doctor who will be able to treat your health condition in a proper manner.

It may take you quite a long time to bring your kids to school

If you want to move to the rural parts of the state, it may also take you quite a long time to bring your kids to and pick your kids up from school since it may not be easy to find good schools nearby and this may become really annoying and time-consuming in the long run.

Distances are often pretty long in the rural parts of the state

In general, once you get outside of the urban parts of South Carolina, distances will become rather long and this means you may have to spend lots of time getting many things you need and you may also have to spend long hours in your car in general.

Property prices and rents in South Carolina are about to increase significantly

While property prices and rents are still reasonably low in many parts of South Carolina, you should know that they are to increase significantly and many people may no longer be able to afford a decent place to stay in the future.

Hard to find great museums in many parts of South Carolina

Another downside to moving to South Carolina is that you will also have a hard time finding many great museums in most parts of the state and you may therefore not be able to watch as many high-quality unique pieces of art as in many other states.

You may miss decent art scenes in the rural parts of the state

Also in case you are an artist and want to hang out with many other like-minded people, you may not get happy with the art scenes in many regions of South Carolina and may be better off moving to New Orleans or other regions where art may play a much bigger role.

Limited number of entertainment options outside of the big cities

You should also know that you may not find as many exciting entertainment options in the rural parts of South Carolina as you may have hoped for and if you are the type of person who needs action all day and night long, you may just not get happy with your life in South Carolina in the long run.

You may get bored with your life in South Caroline in the long run

In general, if you are still young and want to experience many new things on a daily basis, you may also rather want to move to a more vibrant region since living in South Carolina may just become too boring for you sooner or later.

Many people may have to leave South Carolina sooner or later

Since living and housing costs are about to increase, many people in South Carolina may just no longer be able to afford to live in this place and may have to move to cheaper regions in the future.

Nightlife is not really great in many parts of South Carolina

You should also not expect to find as many great bars and clubs as in many other regions if you move to the rural regions of South Carolina where nightlife is usually not really great.

You may miss great sports teams in South Carolina

Another disadvantage of moving to South Carolina is that you may also not find as many great sports teams as in many other states and in case you are a sports fan and want to watch many games at the highest level live in person, you may be better off moving to Chicago or other regions where you would have much more variety in this regard.

Cultural diversity may be rather limited in the many rural regions

You should also not expect to meet as many exciting people from all over the world in the rural parts of South Carolina as you would be able to meet in many other states and you may therefore also miss cultural diversity in general.

You may not find as much action as you may have hoped for

Since South Carolina is not the most vibrant place and you may not find as much entertainment outside of the big cities as you might have wished, you will also not find as much action as in many other places and if you need adrenaline on a regular basis, you may not get happy with your life in South Carolina in the long run.

Many young people may leave South Carolina sooner or later

You should also know that many young people consider leaving the rural parts of South Carolina since there are often just not as many good jobs as in the big cities and if you consider moving to those rural regions, you may just not be able to hang out with as many young people as you might have hoped for.

Rather questionable future outlook for South Carolina

Due to rather high unemployment and crime rates, also the overall outlook for South Carolina may be rather questionable and overall quality of life may drop further in the future.

Top 10 Moving To South Carolina Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is South Carolina A Good Place To Live?

While people moving to South Carolina can enjoy the coast and lots of beautiful nature in general and can also benefit from rather low living and housing costs, you should still know that unemployment and crime rates are rather high and income levels are rather low so the overall future outlook for South Carolina may be rather questionable.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to South Carolina by yourself so you can make the best possible decision according to your individual preferences.

Most Popular Cities To Live In South Carolina – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to South Carolina, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Ohio

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Rhode Island

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Pennsylvania

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/SC

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.