Relocation guide
Moving from California to South Carolina
What to know before you choose where to land — from a REALTOR who works the Midlands.
How many people are relocating from California to SC
about 2,369 people
That is how many people moved from California into the two counties that make up the core of the Midlands — Richland and Lexington — over a five-year stretch. If you are going from California to Columbia SC, you are on a well-worn road.
Estimate ±706. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2017–2021 state-to-county migration flows, into Richland and Lexington counties.
Download the free South Carolina Relocation Guide
Five regions compared, what it costs to carry a home in each, and how South Carolina taxes retirement income. Written by a local licensee.
Get the GuideThe biggest gap between what you sell and what you buy
This is the largest cost-of-entry difference of any state on this list. The practical question is not whether housing costs less here — it plainly does — but what you do with the difference, and whether you want coast, lake or foothills with it.
What South Carolina does with your money
$0
Tax on Social Security
South Carolina does not tax Social Security income. Federal treatment still applies.
None
Estate or inheritance tax
South Carolina levies neither. Several states people relocate from levy one or both.
4% vs 6%
Primary residence assessment ratio
Owner-occupied homes assess at 4%. Second homes and rentals assess at 6% — same house, different carrying cost.
About 0.49%
Average property tax on value
Statewide average; varies by county and millage. Among the lower effective rates in the country.
These figures change, and what they mean for your return depends on your situation. I'm a REALTOR, not a CPA — take the numbers to a qualified tax professional before you plan around them. Sources: SC Department of Revenue, county assessors, AARP South Carolina state tax guide.
Five regions, five different lives
The Upstate
Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Clemson
Foothills of the Blue Ridge and the state's manufacturing engine: BMW's Spartanburg plant, Michelin's North American headquarters and a long bench of suppliers. Real elevation, real fall colour, mountains within the hour.
The Midlands
Columbia, Lexington, Chapin, Irmo, Lake Murray
The geographic middle and the only place in South Carolina where three interstates meet. Employment leans on institutions rather than one industry: state government, the University of South Carolina, Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center, Fort Jackson, and now Scout Motors in Blythewood. Lake Murray sits on the western edge.
The Lowcountry
Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville, Beaufort, Hilton Head
Tidal marsh and barrier islands. The economy runs on the port, Boeing's 787 final assembly line, Joint Base Charleston, MUSC and tourism. The state's highest-priced market and its most weather-exposed — flood and wind coverage are a material line item.
The Grand Strand
Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Georgetown
Sixty miles of continuous beach and one of the fastest-growing metros in the country. Tourism and healthcare anchor the economy, so seasonality is real. Enormous volumes of new construction.
The Pee Dee
Florence, Darlington, Sumter, Marion
The I-95 corridor and the state's agricultural belt. Florence is a regional medical and distribution hub; Sumter carries Shaw Air Force Base. The lowest cost of entry in the state.
The one nobody expects
Only one market in South Carolina is inside a two-hour drive of both the mountains and the beach, and it is the middle of the state. Three interstates meet in Columbia — I-26, I-20 and I-77 — and nowhere else in South Carolina do three meet at all. Lake Murray covers about 50,000 acres with roughly 650 miles of shoreline on the western edge of it.
Three things that surprise people moving from California
- An attorney closes your purchase in South Carolina, not a title company.
- South Carolina charges an annual property tax on vehicles. Most transplants have never paid one.
- On the coast, a real insurance quote on a specific address can move a monthly payment by hundreds of dollars. Get one before you write an offer.
Two more worth reading on the cost of living in South Carolina: how the 4% and 6% property tax ratios work, and, if this is a service move, what a Fort Jackson relocation looks like.
Moving from somewhere else?
Download the free South Carolina Relocation Guide
Five regions compared, what it costs to carry a home in each, and how South Carolina taxes retirement income. Written by a local licensee.
Get the GuideLisa Lovro, REALTOR® — NextHome Specialists — SC License #108445 — (803) 687-1744 — lisalovro.com