Pros and Cons of Living In Greenville SC (2024)
Greenville, South Carolina, is a beautiful city and an overall great place to live. Many young families and retirees are coming to start a life here.
There are a lot of factors to consider when finding the right place to call home. It’s essential to consider all the pros and the cons. We’ve put together that for you to help you decide on whether Greenville is right for you.
Pros of living in Greenville, SC
1. Award-winning Downtown
Greenville’s downtown district is a great place to spend an afternoon or evening. There are plenty of fun activities to keep you busy, including shopping, dining, and sightseeing.
You can also take a walk or ride your bike through the beautiful streets or on Liberty Bridge. There are always events happening in downtown Greenville, so check out the calendar and see what’s happening during your visit. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to read our Downtown Greenville Guide.
2. Affordability
Throughout the nation, we’re seeing a significant rise in the cost of everything. Healthcare, food, and even utilities are becoming more expensive by the day. Finding a community that is still affordable is getting more complicated every day.
Greenville’s overall cost of living is about 5% lower than the national average. The city scores 89.8 on the cost of living index, according to Numbeo.com.
This indicates that a person making $89,800 per year can live comfortably here. But from my own experience, you can do just fine on even less than that.
3. Plenty of outdoor activities
There are plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy, including hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, fishing, and golfing. The city is also located close to some beautiful state parks, like Table Rock and Caesars Head. You’ll discover excellent trails and stunning views of lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and greenery.
4. Beautiful Weather
You’ll stay warm here most of the year here. While the summers can be hot and humid, the winters here are pretty mild compared to other cities.
Putting it another way, you won’t see near triple-digit weather like Texas, and you won’t get a foot of snow like DC. In summer, just make sure you have some kind of air-conditioning. In the winter, while it doesn’t snow as often, when it does, be prepared in case of power outages.
5. Convenient location
Greenville is an excellent location for those who want to be close to larger cities. It is conveniently positioned near Asheville, Columbia, Charlotte, and Atlanta. You have access to two major highways which can take you lots of places throughout the south.
One downside is our international airport is very expensive to fly out of. For budget-friendly traveling, look for a cheap flight from Greenville to another airport, and then get a flight from there to where you want to go.
Cons of living in Greenville, SC
1. Unpreferrable housing market
Currently, it’s a seller’s market in Greenville. This means it’s not suitable for first-time homebuyers who don’t have the equity and assets to cover all costs from the down-payment to mortgage and closing costs.
The median home cost in Greenville is $234,600. But on the flip side, the cost of apartments is more affordable compared to other cities. You can find a two-bedroom apartment for around $1000 a month.
2. Poor roads and infrastructure
Roads have been underfunded for decades in South Carolina. According to The California Post, South Carolina ranks worst for roads in the US.
You’ll notice when you drive further outside the city the roads can sometimes be a little bumpy. While the state is taking on more big road projects, it’ll take some time before the roads are better. But all in all, most roads closer to the city aren’t as bad.
3. High crime rate
Greenville does have its crime issues from time to time. The present crime rate (combined violent and property crimes) is 4,566 per 100,000 people.
But like with any city, the crime is usually in specific areas of town. In the case of Greenville, that area is the western part of downtown. But further outside of downtown, there’s usually less crime.
Frankly, when you read the news here, there are probably more stories of people getting in car crashes than violent crimes. So while it does happen, it’s not as bad as other neighboring cities.
4. Slow-paced lifestyle
Some people prefer a slower-paced lifestyle, where they can take things at their own pace and enjoy the simpler things. Greenville, SC, is a great place to consider moving to if this sounds like you. But if you’re used to a faster pace, you might find life here kind of boring at times.
I’ve known many people I grew up with who were ready to get out of here when they could. They ended up going to places like Atlanta, Charlotte, or all the way to the west coast.
It’s just a matter of preference mostly. One person’s slow can be another person’s just right. I’ve grown up fine with the pace of life here, but you can visit sometime to see how it works for you.
5. Allergies
Greenville was once named the allergy capital. From people I know who did have allergies, it can be a problem here. Be ready to make whatever preparations you need to deal with pollen season.
6. Conservative religious culture
Greenville has a culture that is moderately conservative and religious. According to the stats recorded by Church Angel, there are nearly 300 Christian churches here.
Some people may prefer to be in a less religious and more liberal city. Having said that, there are a lot more progressive young people here than there used to be.
In my own experience, I’ve found most people to be friendly and accepting of other people’s differences. While there are, of course, a vocal few who are less than tolerant at times, in general, people try to have a live and let live attitude.
Summary
There are many advantages and disadvantages to living in Greenville. Some people might love the slower-paced lifestyle, while others might find it too quiet and boring.
Some might love all of the available outdoor activities, and others may yearn for more big city life. And even though the housing prices are increasing, the overall affordability of Greenville makes it a great spot to live long-term.
So, it really depends on what is matters to you and if you’re willing to compromise on some aspects. We hope that this article helps you decide if Greenville, South Carolina, is the right location for you.
