South Carolina vs Tennessee

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

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

3/10

Tennessee

Rank #1

Overall Winner

Overall Score

73.6

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

0.56%

Cost of Living

89.7

$3,100

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,500

250 days

Growing Season

230 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

60"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

6/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.45 hrs

79%

Broadband

85%

Tennessee Edges Out South Carolina Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 73.6 vs 66.5, Tennessee comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 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 $4,500/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 230 days). Tennessee has lower property taxes (0.56% 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	South Carolina SC	Tennessee TN
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	5.21%	—
	7.5%	9.55%
	0.57%	0.56%
	96	89.7
Land & Building
	$3,100	$4,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Varies
Climate & Growing
	7b-9a	6a-8a
	250	230
	56"	60"
	6	7
	4	3
	4	5
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	4.5	4.45
	Yes	No
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Low
	8	9
	Strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	600
	50%	44%
Demographics & Community
	165	167.4
	35%	34%
	79%	85%
Business
	#24	#8
	$110/yr	$300/yr
	3.6%	3.5%

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