Moving from Alaska to South Carolina
Alaska to South Carolina means shipping by sea, not only driving. Median rent is $1,180 a month in South Carolina and $1,419 in Alaska, and the median home is $259,000 against $352,900. Alaska has no state income tax, against up to 6.00% in South Carolina. Property tax runs 0.48% of home value in South Carolina and 1.11% in Alaska.
Moving to South Carolina costs about
$160/mo
less than Alaska each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Alaska to South Carolina, state income tax moves the most: about $304 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Alaska vs South Carolina at a glance
| Alaska | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $352,900 | $259,000 |
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $1,180/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 6.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.11% | 0.48% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 106 | 96 |
| Utilities | 119 | 88 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Alaska vs South Carolina
| Monthly | AK | SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,419 | $1,180 | -$239 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $0 | $304 | +$304 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $0 | $88 | +$88 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,949 | $1,766 | -$183 |
| Utilities | $486 | $361 | -$125 |
| Total | -$155 | ||
Cost to move from Alaska to South Carolina
$6,200 to $12,400
A move involving Alaska goes by sea rather than road, so the range is wider and rougher.
Shipping one car adds about $1,500 to $2,500, against roughly $1,800 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 10-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Anchorage is not Alaska-average and Greenville is not South Carolina-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in South Carolina, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.