Moving from South Carolina to Tennessee
South Carolina to Tennessee is a move of about 423 miles. Median rent is $1,189 a month in Tennessee and $1,180 in South Carolina, and the median home is $286,700 against $259,000. Tennessee has no state income tax, against up to 6.00% in South Carolina. Property tax runs 0.50% of home value in Tennessee and 0.48% in South Carolina.
Moving to Tennessee costs about
$350/mo
less than South Carolina each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Tennessee costs less overall, even though housing costs more
Housing runs about $9 a month more in Tennessee, yet the move still works out roughly $350 a month cheaper once taxes and everyday costs are counted. The house is the expensive part; everything else is not.
South Carolina vs Tennessee at a glance
| South Carolina | Tennessee | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $259,000 | $286,700 |
| Median rent | $1,180/mo | $1,189/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 6.00% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.48% | 0.50% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 96 |
| Utilities | 88 | 72 |
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: South Carolina vs Tennessee
| Monthly | SC | TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,180 | $1,189 | +$9 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $304 | $0 | -$304 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $88 | $99 | +$11 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,766 | $1,765 | -$1 |
| Utilities | $361 | $295 | -$66 |
| Total | -$351 | ||
Cost to move from South Carolina to Tennessee
$1,600 to $3,800
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $400 to $700, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Greenville is not South Carolina-average and Nashville is not Tennessee-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 Tennessee, 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.