Columbia vs Rock Hill
The short version
- Columbia is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Rock Hill area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $264,300 in Columbia and $295,100 in Rock Hill.
- Households earn more in Rock Hill ($68,771 vs $55,529 median).
- Columbia has the warmer winter: January highs of 57°F vs 52°F.
- Columbia has more scorching days: 81 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 55.
- Columbia is growing faster: +7.5% since 2020 vs +2.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Columbia (18 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Columbia, SC | Rock Hill, SC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 147,035 | 75,911 |
| Growth since 2020 | +7.5% | +2.1% |
| People per square mile | 1,062 | 1,706 |
| Median age | 28.6 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 46% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,529 | $68,771 |
| Median home value | $264,300 | $295,100 |
| Home value to income | 4.8× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,204 | $1,341 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.7 | 97.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 79.5 | 97.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,200 | $73,000 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 6% | 6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.49% | 7.49% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.7 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 12% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.5% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 24% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 35° | 52° / 31° |
| July high / low | 93° / 72° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 45 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 81 | 55 |
| Nights below freezing | 46 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.1 | 88.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | 46% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.6% | +1.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.6% | +49.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Columbia: March to May and September to October. Rock Hill: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Columbia weather by month and Rock Hill weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $70,200 in Columbia and $73,000 in Rock Hill. Moving from Columbia to Rock Hill, you would need about $78,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Columbia and Rock Hill
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Columbia and Rock Hill.
Which would you pick?
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