Hawaii vs South Carolina

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

Hawaii

Rank #46

Overall Score

52.3

Category Wins

6/10

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.27%

Property Tax

0.57%

187

Cost of Living

$8,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,100

365 days

Growing Season

250 days

450"

Annual Rainfall

56"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

5.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.5 hrs

82%

Broadband

79%

South Carolina Edges Out Hawaii Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 52.3, 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 $8,500/acre. Hawaii has a longer growing season (365 vs 250 days). Hawaii has lower property taxes (0.27% vs 0.57%).

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	Hawaii HI	South Carolina SC
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	8.75%	5.21%
	4.5%	7.5%
	0.27%	0.57%
	187	96
Land & Building
	$8,500	$3,100
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	10a-13a	7b-9a
	365	250
	450"	56"
	6	6
	7	4
	1	4
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	5.5	4.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Minimal
	2	8
	Moderate	Strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	271	506
	50%	50%
Demographics & Community
	211.8	165
	8%	35%
	82%	79%
Business
	#42	#24
	$150/yr	$110/yr
	3.1%	3.6%

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