Moving from South Carolina to North Carolina
At $100,000 a single filer saves $763 a year by moving from South Carolina to North Carolina — $64 a month. South Carolina charges $4,244 at that income and North Carolina charges $3,481, an effective 4.24% against 3.48%.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $487; at $500,000 it is $5,643. South Carolina is graduated and North Carolina is flat, which is why the gap widens as income rises.
The move priced at every income
State income tax in both jurisdictions for tax year 2026, at the standard tiers. Change the filing status to see how the answer moves.
| Income | South Carolina tax | North Carolina tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,000 | $1,486 | +$487 | +$41 | 2.00% → 2.97% |
| $75,000 | $2,657 | $2,484 | −$174 | −$14 | 3.54% → 3.31% |
| $100,000 | $4,244 | $3,481 | −$763 | −$64 | 4.24% → 3.48% |
| $150,000 | $6,849 | $5,476 | −$1,373 | −$114 | 4.57% → 3.65% |
| $250,000 | $12,059 | $9,466 | −$2,593 | −$216 | 4.82% → 3.79% |
| $500,000 | $25,084 | $19,441 | −$5,643 | −$470 | 5.02% → 3.89% |
Want a figure for your own income? Open this pair in the moving calculator, which also takes Maryland county and New York City local taxes.
Both states at $100,000
South Carolina (leaving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026North Carolina (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026North Carolina (arriving) brackets, deductions and sources →
How many people make this move
29,982 people moved from South Carolina to North Carolina in 2024, give or take 4,618 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 13th busiest of the 40 routes this site covers.
The traffic runs both ways: 33,151 people moved the other way, from North Carolina to South Carolina, in the same year. That is a net 3,169 toward South Carolina. The return trip has its own page: moving from North Carolina to South Carolina.
Movers: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. State-to-State Migration Flows: 2024 (American Community Survey 1-year estimates) (retrieved 2026-09-19). Universe: population 1 year and over in the united states. Tax figures are computed from each state's own rate schedule and are unrelated to this dataset.
What else changes between South Carolina and North Carolina
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 3.36% in South Carolina and 4.25% in North Carolina.
South Carolina, today: South Carolina deducts 44% of net capital gain. The 2025 SC1040 instructions for line i say: "Net capital gains included in taxable income are reduced by 44% for South Carolina Income Tax purposes." Against the 6% top rate that is an effective 3.36%.
North Carolina, after the move: North Carolina taxes a capital gain at the ordinary rates, up to 4.25%. There is no preferential rate and no general exclusion. Compare every state.
Retirement income. North Carolina: North Carolina does not tax Social Security benefits. Compare every state.
Direction of travel. South Carolina's top rate has fallen 1.79 points since 2021. North Carolina's top rate has fallen 1.26 points since 2021. South Carolina history · North Carolina history.
What this does not answer
State income tax only. Property tax, sales tax and housing costs usually matter more to a moving decision than the figures on this page, and none of them is here.
A full year in each state. In the year you move you will normally file part-year returns in both, splitting the income between them, so neither column is what you will actually pay that year.
Rates are tax year 2026. Sources: South Carolina Department of Revenue and North Carolina Department of Revenue. How we verify this data · Disclaimer