Moving from South Carolina to New York: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from South Carolina to New York.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from South Carolina to New York
South Carolina has graduated income tax rates up to 5.21% and New York has graduated income tax rates up to 10.9%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,244 in state income tax in South Carolina and $4,860 in state income tax in New York. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $616 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,155 a month across South Carolina's metro areas and $1,400 across New York's (+21.2%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $46,144 in South Carolina and $59,552 in New York. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between South Carolina & New York
Moving from South Carolina to New York on a $100,000 salary: pay $616 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,400 vs $1,155 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 higher in New York than in South Carolina (0.6 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across New York's metros is $1,400 a month, versus $1,155 in South Carolina (+21.2%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$3,561 a year.
South Carolina: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.21%. New York: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.9%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.