Delaware vs South Carolina

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

2/10

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

0.57%

106

Cost of Living

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,100

180 days

Growing Season

250 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

56"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.5 hrs

88%

Broadband

79%

South Carolina Edges Out Delaware Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 61.7, South Carolina comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: South Carolina offers cheaper farmland at $3,100/acre vs $3,400/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 180 days). South Carolina is more affordable with a cost of living index of 96 vs 106.

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Delaware DE	South Carolina SC
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	6.6%	5.21%
	0%	7.5%
	0.57%	0.57%
	106	96
Land & Building
	$3,400	$3,100
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	7b-9a
	180	250
	48"	56"
	6	6
	4	4
	3	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	5	8
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	506
	40%	50%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	165
	25%	35%
	88%	79%
Business
	#18	#24
	$90/yr	$110/yr
	3.4%	3.6%

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