Spartanburg, SC vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Spartanburg to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($279,792 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Spartanburg vs Tampa at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Spartanburg, SC, you'd need about $113,244 in Tampa, FL (+$13,244).
Livability — Spartanburg, SC: 71 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,574 sqft in Spartanburg vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($140 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Spartanburg, SC | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,676 | $24,216 | +$6,540 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $4,949 | +$151 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $4,800 | +$1,335 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $1,656 | −$192 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $4,200 | +$2,200 |
| Taxes | $10,153 | $4,642 | −$5,511 |
| Total | $39,939 | $44,463 | +$4,523 |
Side by side
| Metric | Spartanburg, SC | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.5 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.72% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.4% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.15 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $279,792 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.3% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $140 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,473 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.59% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |