Best places to live in South Carolina (2026)

All 9 ranked places in South Carolina, by all-round score. 2 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Mount Pleasant, SCSuburb · 3-bed $730k · very safe63
2. 2Greenville, SCSmall city · 3-bed $311k · moderate crime61
3. 3Charleston, SCSmall city · 3-bed $530k · safe58
4. 4Summerville, SCSuburb · 3-bed $340k · safe53
5. 5Rock Hill, SCSmall city · 3-bed $318k · moderate crime51
6. 6Columbia, SCMid-size city · 3-bed $218k · higher crime49
7. 7North Charleston, SCMid-size city · 3-bed $308k · higher crime48
8. 8Sumter, SCSmall city · 3-bed $205k · higher crime40
9. 9Florence, SCSmall city · 3-bed $214k · higher crime40

Cheapest places to live in South Carolina

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Sumter, SCSmall city · rent $1,530/mo · cost of living 88$205k
2. 2Florence, SCSmall city · rent $1,430/mo · cost of living 87$214k
3. 3Columbia, SCMid-size city · rent $1,620/mo · cost of living 94$218k
4. 4North Charleston, SCMid-size city · rent $2,220/mo · cost of living 101$308k
5. 5Goose Creek, SCSuburb · rent $2,220/mo · cost of living 101$308k

Safest places to live in South Carolina

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Mount Pleasant, SCSuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate114 per 100k
2. 2Summerville, SCSuburb · violent crime 0.9× the US rate352 per 100k
3. 3Charleston, SCSmall city · violent crime 1.0× the US rate373 per 100k
4. 4Greenville, SCSmall city · violent crime 1.5× the US rate576 per 100k
5. 5Rock Hill, SCSmall city · violent crime 1.7× the US rate661 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in South Carolina

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Rock Hill, SC6 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes80
2. 2Columbia, SC8 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes77
3. 3Greenville, SC9 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes76
4. 4Sumter, SC9 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes74
5. 5Florence, SC10 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly hurricanes, flooding66

Best places to live for families in South Carolina

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Mount Pleasant, SCSuburb · kids average · safety excellent · 3-bed $730k61
2. 2Greenville, SCSmall city · kids below average · safety average · 3-bed $311k59
3. 3Columbia, SCMid-size city · kids poor · safety below average · 3-bed $218k52
4. 4Summerville, SCSuburb · kids average · safety good · 3-bed $340k51
5. 5Rock Hill, SCSmall city · kids below average · safety average · 3-bed $318k47

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.