r/AskSouthCarolina

What does NC offer that SC doesn’t ?

For all the transplants who moved to SC in the past few years , do you think SC is your forever home or you plan on relocating again in search of that ?

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I'm (25m) currently living in CT and have been my whole life and my roommate is not renewing our lease in October, my other friend offered for me to move down to Aiken/Augusta area and rent his guest house for $600/month. Here I'm paying $1200/month so that's a huge money saver but Im also making around $16/hour now and would probably make a bit less for a similar job down there. The cost of living is WAY better in SC (according to Google) than CT also. l'm single, no kids, cat and dog, I don't drive and I smoke weed daily but I can quit no problem if it's too hard to get down there. As for politics I wouldn't call myself a liberal and I'm not a Democrat but I absolutely am NOT conservative. My main goal I think is to just save money and leave the country in the next 5-ish years so I'm not too worried about settling down or anything. I'm just not sure if SC will be a good place for me and obviously I have no idea what it's really like down there outside of statistics so I'm curious what anyone has to say about what it's like and how you think it will be over the next few years that I might be there.

As transplants from Chicago(me) and NYC(my husband) to Columbia, SC PLEASE tell me I’m being gaslit when told all the apartments down here has bugs.

We’re currently staying with our in-laws in Columbia, we have an 8 month old and the last 4 places we’ve seen had roaches and all of them told me “it’s just part of apartment living” .

We just came from viewing a place and was told “oh the pest control is more for the water bugs… the ones that fly. You can’t escape them anywhere in the south” I- 😳

(Yes we’ve looked at houses to rent but haven’t seen any that we like. Carpet too old, too far from in-laws, etc)

Where should we look? We’re just trying to pay less than what we were in nyc ($2500) for a shoebox with nothing or equivalent that comes with more for our money. Any suggestions?

planning a Myrtle beach trip with my dog and i'm mainly looking for somewhere close to the beach where the room is comfortable enough for a few nights. i'm seeing a lot of options when i search pet friendly hotels but im worried because a lot of places say they're pet friendly, but then you get into the details and there are weight limits, extra fees, breed restrictions, or the dog can't really go anywhere outside the room.

Pros and cons of living in Charleston? Or anywhere really in South Carolina. Feeling a little lost and nervous to move states.

Not sure if I can post this here but wondering which credit unions would be a good alternative to move my checking and savings to? Not SAFE FCU (they suck!)! I was looking at NavyFed (Sandhills) or AllSouth but saw some very negative recent reviews for both of them. God, why does everything have to suck? I am leaving my bank bc they were bought out by Capital One, and they are not a good bank to have compared to my old institution. Sick about it.

Coming from upstate NY. We love Myrtle Beach, but 3BR oceanfront condos there typically 450k+ and HOA’s can go over 1500/mo…

For example:

condo

Are there alternative towns along the coast where we could get one less pricey (and perhaps without the crushing tourism traffic…) but with decent local restaurants and stuff to do?

Just really want to try them

Hey everyone,I’m a 33-year-old single guy from Massachusetts looking to make a big change and move to the Beaufort or Bluffton area. I’ve never really left my area much (only been to Miami once as far as the South goes) and I’m pretty sheltered/simple, so this would be a full restart.

Quick background: Hard worker, never call out, outspoken and honest.

Have Ollier’s disease (bones are fragile), so I’m careful about jobs that involve a lot of driving or heavy physical risk.

Worked at Walmart for many years. The store here fell apart after a lot of people left, so I’m ready for something new. I can transfer to a Walmart down there and keep my current pay ($21/hr) + benefits. I’m also open to other jobs — I’ve seen some grocery manager openings that look interesting.

Stock market is a hobby that helps with extra money.

Looking at apartments in the ~$1,500 range (Legends North of Broad is one example I’ve checked out). I have a car and am fine with 20–30 minute one-way trips.

Open to both Beaufort and Bluffton. Timeline is flexible — sooner would be nice but not urgent.

I’m mostly looking forward to the weather change from New England. I don’t need a ton of nightlife or activities — I’m a pretty boring/simple person and don’t do much even where I am now.Locals — what should I know? Pros/cons of Beaufort vs Bluffton for a single guy in his 30s?

Realistic cost of living (rent around $1,500, groceries, etc.)

Any red flags or recommendations with apartment complexes in that price range?

Job market beyond retail/grocery?

Healthcare access (important because of my condition)?

General vibe, traffic, community, or anything else you’d tell someone moving from up north?

Any advice, warnings, or recommendations are really appreciated. Or tell me you're state is full and I should stay where I am. I have options. Thanks in advance!

Hello I am a transferring to Uofsc from my local community college and have applied for sc residency about 2 weeks ago and have yet to see a change in my tuition bill saying I’m a nonresident I have just noticed a new pop up saying sc residency and it is requesting my both my parents drivers license/state id but the problem is they don’t have either since they are illegal immigrants and aren’t able to get them and I was wondering if anyone else had the same problem and what I can do I tried calling the registrar twice now and have not been able to talk to someone waiting on a ai voice while I wait and it canceling the call after 15+ minutes of nothing I have tried sending a email two days ago with no response yet if I don’t get any help I would have to pay a bill of 22k for the fall semester due August 12th and would have to take out a student loan I hope someone can help me out and give me advice as I talked with other people and haven’t found anything yet please help anything is appreciated.

Just adding to the pile of posts about moving to Greenville and cost of living.

I was born in Greenville but moved away when I was fairly young. I still have a lot of family in the area, and my wife and I are now planning to relocate there for a job opportunity. We also have our first child on the way, due at the end of the year, so being closer to family is a big part of the move. We’ve visited Greenville several times recently and it seems to be a great city. Obviously everyone has their views on this.

I’ve read plenty about the pros and cons of Greenville, so I’m less interested in the usual cultural complaints and more interested in hearing from locals about the actual financial side of living there.

We’re coming from a VHCOL area out West. My new salary will be $100k, with total compensation around $117k including other incentives. I’m also expecting a promotion and salary increase after the first year. Surprisingly, this job is only a relatively small pay cut compared with what I’ve been making. We’re planning for my wife to stay home for a while after the baby is born, so initially we’ll be a single-income household.

For those living in the Greenville area, how far does a $100k household salary realistically go for a family of three?

I’m most interested in things like:

• Property taxes and homeowners insurance costs

• Average Utilities

• Typical Groceries

• Eating out

• Entertainment and activities

• Any Greenville/SC-specific expenses that surprised you after moving there

• Whether our housing budget seems reasonable for our income

Salary: $100k

Total compensation: $117k

401(k): 5% contribution with 5% company match

IRA: Contribute whatever we comfortably can after expenses

Target home price: $400k - $500k

Down payment: $150k

Current monthly spending excluding housing: $3,200

Also, what areas do you recommend we look to buy a house? We like Travelers Rest. Hope to be closeish to the mountains if possible, but still in a good school district.

We budget pretty carefully and aren’t huge spenders. I’m mainly trying to get a realistic idea of what life looks like financially on $100k in Greenville with a stay-at-home spouse and one child.

Really appreciate anyone’s perspective!

Hello Dear South Carolinians,

We, a family of 3 are moving to Columbia, SC from MA due to my new job. I am trying to find a home for us like a crazy for last 3-4 days on Zillow and likewise. I have met a few **real** and great people, most of them private landlords who are great human beings and pleasure to work with. But most of the listings are from property management companies - Palmetto Property Management of SC, Pure, Real Property Management Midlands (AI scam?), Yip, etc.

My initial goal was to do a video/virtual tour, see the neighbourhood on google maps, and decide about the house. This is my 5th year in US and first time doing interstate move and remote search. Now, arranging a video tour seems extremely hard. Few companies, like Palmetto, flatly refused to do a video tour, and quite frankly the person on the phone was very rude. They just want me to apply first, with non refundable fees AND deposits even without showing me the house!!! Based on internet search, they can flatly deny for any reason even if the financial and background check is clean and pocket the fees + deposit. Sometimes, few excellent looking rental properties sit while accumulating application and fees for several days (30-60 days for Yip), making me wonder if money will go down the drain even if I apply. Almost all of them have horrendous reviews online (except maybe Soda Rentals?).

My mind just cannot accept applying and paying anything even before seeing the property, and I don't think I am being unreasonable in that. Now, due to my profession and frugal nature, I have an excellent credit history in the US (790 score, 100% before time payments), a physician with salary with 11x rent (albeit with contract, no paystub yet, pending visa processing completion and start date). I pre-emptively provide all the information (scores, salary, no smoking/pet). I also have a credit score pdf via my credit card company. But , I am still finding it hard to see a real property and feeling confident moving ahead. I also paid for a Zillow application which did not seem bad to me considering everything ($35 for 30 days), but no property management company accepts that.

I don't know. I feel like I am rambling. I have concluded that I just need to fly over there to see the property in person. Still many of them (again, Palmetto) are willing to send youtube shorts only!! and apparently good properties are with them. I am not sure what to do except risking $200-300, that too multiple times with different agencies, which does not sound reasonable to me at all.

I need advice, how best to move forward in finding a home for us (at least 3+ beds and 2+ baths) in the above-mentioned area. I am looking for <45 minutes commute to and from Camden. Any advice and recommendations from the local persons are appreciated.

Thank you for listening to my rant.

Regards.

Hello! I am moving to Greenville, SC next month for a new job originally from the NorthEast. I am a recent grad so in my early 20s and I am moving there by myself. Looking for any advice on anything and everything! Where should I look for apartments (locations, recommendations, etc), best places to meet people, anything you wish you knew before moving there if you did a move. This is a huge change for me so just looking for some insights into the city and what to expect. Thanks!

I’ve always cleaned my house and taken pride in DIY. But at this point it’s been enough time where my driveway, brick, roof are all showing age. For those of you who have used pressure washing companies, is it worth it, and do you have any recs? I'm in the Columbia, Lexington, Blythewood area

I am wanting to know if there are permanent roadside signs, here in Florida we have permanent drive safe in loving memory of signs .. I was wondering if there were anything similar in South Carolina and if roadside memorials were legal to have there

I was sideswiped a few weeks ago and the other person's insurance totaled my car (total loss) based on cost to fix vs pre-wreck value. **The car is fine.** Some paint scratches a dent in the door, and a dent in the rear wheel well. I had to drive it 200 miles to get home after the accident, with no issues at all. Not even minor vibration or alignment problems.

I decided to keep the car (retain salvage). I just received my new Title with the Salvage stipulation.

The SCDMV website isn't super clear on what I'm required to do if anything, so I called the DMV and was told the following:

1. It is **legal** to drive on a Salvage title, in South Carolina, as long as the damage is cosmetic and the car is safe to drive. If the car would have been marked **Salvage-Junk** then I can't drive it.

2. No inspection is required to prove the car is safe to drive. I guess they used to do this but no longer do. This is the one that I was struggling to believe but I asked twice to make sure I heard correctly.

3. I can go through the repair process -- take before / after pictures, keep detailed receipts, and fill out paperwork to apply for a **Salvage Fixed** title...**if I want to**...to help with resell value.

This is all great news for me, since I don't have to do anything if I don't want to, but none of the above is documented anywhere that I can find on the SCDMV website.

Still a little nervous I'm going to get pulled over for driving on a Salvage license.

Probably going to call again and see if I get a different answer :)

**Anyone from South Carolina been through this situation?**