Moving from New York to South Carolina: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from New York to South Carolina.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from New York to South Carolina
New York has graduated income tax rates up to 10.9% and South Carolina has graduated income tax rates up to 5.21%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 in state income tax in New York and $4,244 in state income tax in South Carolina. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $616 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,400 a month across New York's metro areas and $1,155 across South Carolina's (-17.5%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $59,552 in New York and $46,144 in South Carolina. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
South Carolina Paycheck & Living Costs
Metropolitan Corridors Between New York & South Carolina
Moving from New York to South Carolina on a $100,000 salary: pay $616 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,155 vs $1,400 a month (HUD.
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $616 lower in South Carolina than in New York (0.6 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across South Carolina's metros is $1,155 a month, versus $1,400 in New York (-17.5%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$3,561 a year.
New York: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.9%. South Carolina: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.21%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.