South Carolina vs Washington

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

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

0.94%

Cost of Living

112

$3,100

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,700

250 days

Growing Season

210 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

100"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

6/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

8/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

79%

Broadband

89%

South Carolina Edges Out Washington Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 64.6, 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 $4,700/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 210 days). South Carolina has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 0.94%).

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	Washington WA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	5.21%	—
	7.5%	9.22%
	0.57%	0.94%
	96	112
Land & Building
	$3,100	$4,700
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	7b-9a	8a-10a
	250	210
	56"	100"
	6	7
	4	5
	4	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.5	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Minimal
	8	6
	Strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	388
	50%	44%
Demographics & Community
	165	106
	35%	17%
	79%	89%
Business
	#24	#22
	$110/yr	$180/yr
	3.6%	3.9%

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