Moving from Texas to South Carolina: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Texas 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 Texas to South Carolina
Texas has no state income tax on wages and South Carolina has graduated income tax rates up to 5.21%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Texas and $4,244 in state income tax in South Carolina. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $4,244 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,035 a month across Texas's metro areas and $1,155 across South Carolina's (+11.6%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $49,204 in Texas 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 Texas & South Carolina
Moving from Texas to South Carolina on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,244 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,155 vs $1,035 a month (HUD.
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $4,244 higher in South Carolina than in Texas (4.2 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across South Carolina's metros is $1,155 a month, versus $1,035 in Texas (+11.6%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$5,689 a year.
Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. South Carolina: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.21%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.