South Carolina vs Utah

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

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

4/10

Utah

Rank #19

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.6

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

0.6%

Cost of Living

104

$3,100

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,800

250 days

Growing Season

180 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

24"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.5 hrs

79%

Broadband

88%

Utah Edges Out South Carolina Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.6 vs 66.5, Utah comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $3,100/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 180 days). South Carolina has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 0.6%).

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	Utah UT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.21%	4.65%
	7.5%	7.25%
	0.57%	0.6%
	96	104
Land & Building
	$3,100	$2,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	7b-9a	4a-9a
	250	180
	56"	24"
	6	6
	4	8
	4	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.5	5.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Minimal
	8	9
	Strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	267
	50%	38%
Demographics & Community
	165	38
	35%	11%
	79%	88%
Business
	#24	#16
	$110/yr	$50/yr
	3.6%	2.9%

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