The 26 Best places to live in South Carolina

Updated: March 11, 2026

South Carolina ranked 39th most liveable and 26th most expensive state in the United States. Below is the list of 26 best cities to live and work for singles and families.

3 best cities to live in South Carolina are Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia. More than 30% population of South Carolina live in cities with quality of life more than 63/100.

Rank	State	Quality of life	Cost of living
1	District of Columbia	93	$3296
2	New York State	86	$3417
3	Pennsylvania	84	$2368
4	Maryland	83	$2435
5	Arizona	82	$2268
6	Texas State	82	$2136
7	Illinois	82	$2460
8	Washington	81	$2671
9	Vermont	81	$2578
10	Delaware	80	$2324
11	Nebraska	80	$1874
12	Tennessee	80	$2149
13	California	80	$3046
14	Virginia	79	$2391
15	Indiana	79	$2010
16	Alaska	79	$2464
17	Colorado	79	$2586
18	Oklahoma State	78	$1880
19	Florida	78	$2545
20	Ohio	78	$1903
21	Oregon State	78	$2461
22	North Carolina	78	$2193
23	Wisconsin	78	$2029
24	Michigan	78	$1935
25	Massachusetts	78	$2881
26	Hawaii	77	$3033
27	Nevada	77	$2394
28	Minnesota	77	$2219
29	Missouri	77	$1945
30	Iowa State	76	$1775
31	South Dakota	76	$1897
32	Kentucky	76	$1799
33	New Jersey	76	$2753
34	Connecticut	75	$2639
35	Kansas State	75	$1975
36	Georgia	75	$2262
37	Louisiana	74	$2002
38	Puerto Rico	74	$1634
39	South Carolina	74	$2265
40	New Mexico	74	$1999

Best cities to live in South Carolina

Charleston

Greenville

Columbia

Anderson

Mount Pleasant

North Charleston

Summerville

Greer

Mauldin

Rock Hill

Spartanburg

Hanahan

Goose Creek

Conway

Lexington

Bluffton

Sumter

Hilton Head Island

Orangeburg

Aiken

Seneca

Greenwood

Lancaster

Myrtle Beach

North Augusta

Florence