State College Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from State College to Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.8 to 93.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $59/mo.

-$3,338
BLS median salary lower in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
250 to 439
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.6:1 to 14.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 96.8 → 93.6
Rent Delta: +$59/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 3% lower cost of living
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $59/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $3K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.8 to 93.6 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $59/mo ($708/yr) from $1,406 in State College to $1,465 in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach sits #103 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). State College is #196/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,338 lower ($62,669 → $59,331). Labor-market size: 54,000 tracked jobs at origin vs 135,370 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Pennsylvania at 65 (C, #18/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
State College
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.8
RPP 93.6
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
Rent (2BR)
$1,406/mo
$1,465/mo
State College
Wages
$62,669
$59,331
State College
Crime
250 per 100K
439 per 100K
State College
Schools
13.6:1
14.3:1
State College
Childcare
N/A
$7,732/yr
Tie
Environment
5292 violations
720 violations
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72
Destination state · South Carolina
80 A #3/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
87
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
56

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in State College to see what you'd need to earn in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026