Living in Carolina Forest, SC
Small city in South Carolina
Carolina Forest is a small city in South Carolina, home to about 26,000 people, with 229,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Carolina Forest a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Low taxes: about $1,296 state income tax per resident, 0.35% property tax
- Strong public schools: test results well above the US average
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $347k and rents for $1,810 a month
- Easy flying: MYR is 6 mi away
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 229,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer graduates: 34% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Carolina Forest ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Carolina Forest: common questions
What is the cost of living in Carolina Forest?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $347k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,810 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 94, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Carolina Forest?
South Carolina collects about $1,296 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.35% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Carolina Forest safe?
Carolina Forest isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
How are the schools in Carolina Forest?
Public schools in Carolina Forest test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 18 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Carolina Forest?
Carolina Forest has mild winters: winter days average around 57°F and summer days around 86°F.
Does Carolina Forest get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from hurricanes and flooding: 11 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.85 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Carolina Forest?
The nearest major airport is MYR, about 6 mi away.
How Carolina Forest scores
Each bar compares Carolina Forest with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Carolina Forest
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in South Carolina.
Is Carolina Forest right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.