South Carolina vs Vermont

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

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

6/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

2/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

2.1%

Cost of Living

117

$3,100

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

250 days

Growing Season

130 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

56"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

8/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

79%

Broadband

82%

South Carolina Edges Out Vermont Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 62.9, 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 $7,500/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 130 days). South Carolina has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 2.1%).

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	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.21%	8.75%
	7.5%	6%
	0.57%	2.1%
	96	117
Land & Building
	$3,100	$7,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	7b-9a	2b-4b
	250	130
	56"	56"
	6	6
	4	2
	4	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.5	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	High
	8	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	155
	50%	28%
Demographics & Community
	165	68
	35%	68%
	79%	82%
Business
	#24	#44
	$110/yr	$125/yr
	3.6%	3.1%

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