Retiring in Columbia, South Carolina

Retiring in Columbia: overview

Columbia is in Richland and Lexington, South Carolina, within the Columbia & the Midlands region.

Columbia is the capital of South Carolina and the center of the Midlands. The University of South Carolina says the city was founded in 1786, and that it is home to the state's flagship university, state government, Fortune 500 companies and an arts scene. Richland and Lexington counties both include parts of the Columbia area, which is why the property tax discussion below treats both counties.

For retirees the city offers things a small coastal or mountain town cannot: a major public university whose campus and events are open to the community, two large health systems, and a long list of outdoor places nearby, from the Congaree River to the lower Saluda and Congaree National Park. The university says Columbia Metropolitan Airport is about 15 to 20 minutes by car from campus and that Charlotte Douglas International Airport is about 1.5 hours away.

The tradeoffs are a split between two counties with separate offices and rates for tax questions, and river and weather hazards that call for a flood-zone check on any parcel. Retirees who prefer smaller, suburban settings near the city can compare Lexington, Irmo, Newberry and Camden, all in the same region.

Cost of living in Columbia

South Carolina's Department of Revenue says the statewide sales tax is 6 percent and that counties and municipalities can add local taxes if voters approve them. Its local sales tax page reports that Lexington County extended its school district tax effective March 1, 2026, and that the county's sales tax rate remains 7 percent. The same page lists Richland County among the counties authorized for the transportation tax, effective May 1, 2013, so local taxes differ by county. Confirm the rate for a specific address with the department before budgeting for large purchases.

The Department of Revenue publishes a tax tips article for retirees aimed at South Carolinians who are retired or 65 and older, describing the income tax deductions and exemptions the state offers. Those deductions depend on age and type of income, so use the SC retirement taxes guide and the NC vs SC comparison rather than relying on a general summary.

The University of South Carolina lists continuing education among its study options, and its Explore Columbia page highlights free tours of the State House and the Soda Cap Connector, which it describes as an easy, affordable way to explore the downtown areas.

Property taxes in Columbia

Columbia straddles two counties, and the first step in estimating a tax bill is to confirm which county and which school district the parcel is in. The South Carolina Association of Counties' 2025 millage report lists rates as decimals per dollar of assessed value: 0.1320 for Richland County's countywide total, 0.0896 for the City of Columbia, 0.0621 for Cayce, 0.0536 for Forest Acres and 0.1250 for Eastover. For Lexington County it lists a county total of 0.0883, West Columbia at 0.0662 plus a bond levy of 0.0066, and Columbia at 0.0896 for the parts of the city in Lexington County. Lexington County's own TY2025 millage schedule is the official source for the county's component levies and for every special district in the county.

A mill is one thousandth of a dollar, according to Lexington County's auditor, so a rate of 0.1320 is 132 mills. Lexington County explains that a legal-residence application lets the owner's one legal residence be assessed at four percent of market value rather than six percent. On a $300,000 home with that four percent assessment, the assessed value is $12,000, and the Richland County rate of 0.1320 plus the City of Columbia rate of 0.0896 would equal $2,659.20 (our arithmetic), before school, fire, stormwater and other special-district levies that vary by address. Treat that figure only as an illustration of how the pieces combine.

Lexington County's assessor says the county implemented a countywide reassessment in 2025 and that the next legislatively mandated reassessment is scheduled for 2030. The county's 2025 reassessment summary says notices were mailed May 2, 2025, that a property's taxable value cannot go up more than 15 percent at reassessment, and that tax bills normally follow in October. Richland County sets its own schedule through its assessor, so confirm the current cycle for a Richland parcel with that office.

The state homestead exemption is the largest relief for older owners. South Carolina's Department of Revenue says it is a complete exemption of taxes on the first $50,000 of fair market value of a legal residence for homeowners over 65, totally and permanently disabled owners and legally blind owners, and that the General Assembly temporarily raised it to $75,000 for tax year 2026 only through the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget. Lexington County says an applicant must hold fee simple title or a life estate in the primary residence, have been a legal resident of South Carolina for a year, and have been 65 as of December 31 of the year before the tax year. For age, it asks for a birth certificate or Medicare card and a South Carolina driver's license, says no annual reapplication is needed except after a change of ownership by death or a change in occupancy, and describes a surviving-spouse benefit. Its pre-application window runs July 16 to December 31 of the year a person turns 65, and the application window runs January 1 to July 15 of the following year. For Richland County parcels, the Department of Revenue directs applicants to their county auditor's office; read the SC retirement taxes guide and the property tax relief guide for how it fits with other relief.

Insurance and risk in Columbia

South Carolina's Emergency Management Division lists floods, dam failure, tornadoes, thunderstorms, winter weather, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and extreme heat among the disasters it prepares residents for, and it offers CodeRED alerts and NOAA Weather Radio information. For a Columbia household the river and dam context matters: the Lower Saluda River below Lake Murray Dam, which South Carolina Department of Natural Resources describes as a ten-mile State Scenic River in Lexington and Richland Counties, can change from 400 to 20,000 cubic feet per second within hours because of hydroelectric releases, a condition the department flags as dangerous to river users.

Congaree National Park's home page notes that waters from the Congaree and Wateree Rivers sweep through the floodplain, and it asks 'How high is the water, ranger?' with a link to current conditions. Buyers near the Congaree, Saluda, Broad or smaller creeks should obtain a flood-zone determination from the county and an insurance quote before making an offer, and the guide to flood and hurricane insurance in the Carolinas explains the exclusions in a standard homeowners policy. FloodSmart explains that in communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, owners in Zone A with federally backed mortgages must buy flood insurance.

Healthcare access in Columbia

Columbia is the Midlands' medical hub. Prisma Health Richland Hospital at 5 Richland Medical Park Drive describes itself as one of the Midlands' premier referral centers, with a 24-hour Level I trauma center in downtown Columbia and the area's only pediatric trauma center. Its trauma page says the center is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, the only one in the Midlands, treating an average of 4,300 serious injuries a year, with hospitals across the region sending their most critically injured patients by ambulance or helicopter. Prisma Health Heart Hospital, next door at 6 Richland Medical Park Drive, is described by Prisma as South Carolina's first comprehensive, freestanding hospital dedicated solely to cardiovascular disease, and the Richland Hospital page lists a comprehensive stroke center among its services.

Lexington Health is the second major system. It describes a 607-bed hospital, more than 9,000 health care professionals, more than 80 doctors' offices throughout the Midlands, six accredited urgent care centers, residency programs and a nursing school, the largest extended care facility in the Carolinas and a specialized care center for Alzheimer's patients. Its home page says it is the number one ranked hospital in Columbia for five years running, which is the system's own claim, and lists cancer, heart and vascular, orthopaedics, women's health and maternity services.

The University of South Carolina adds academic medicine: it offers the state's most comprehensive approach to the health sciences, according to its at-a-glance page, with the School of Medicine Columbia and colleges of nursing, pharmacy and public health. With two systems nearby, Medicare Advantage networks matter; confirm that your doctors and preferred hospital are in a plan's network, and read healthcare access across the Carolinas.

Climate in Columbia

South Carolina's Emergency Management Division lists extreme heat, thunderstorms, tornadoes, winter weather and hurricanes in its preparedness pages, which is a reasonable checklist for a Midlands household. For an older adult, summer heat and power outages are the practical risks: check air conditioning capacity, whether the home has backup power for medical equipment, and sign up for the county's emergency alerts. Lexington County lists an Emergency Management Division within its Public Safety departments, and the state emergency agency offers a CodeRED alert sign-up.

Lifestyle and recreation in Columbia

The University of South Carolina was founded in 1801 and its systemwide enrollment was 58,906 in fall 2025, with campuses in 20 locations. The university lists arts and entertainment and athletics among its offerings, and its Explore Columbia page points to the Main Street District, the Vista and Five Points as lively areas, to Soda City Market and to a public art directory kept by One Columbia.

Outdoor recreation is a strength. Congaree National Park, in Hopkins, protects the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States, according to the National Park Service. Its pages describe more than 25 miles of hiking trails, 2.4 miles of boardwalk, ranger and volunteer-guided programs on Saturdays year-round, a marked canoe trail on Cedar Creek and the 50-mile Congaree River Blue Trail paddling route from Columbia to the park; canoes and kayaks may be rented in the Columbia area.

Closer in, the Lower Saluda River offers trout and striped bass fishing, paddling and tube floating below Lake Murray Dam. South Carolina's natural resources department lists Saluda Shoals Park, which charges admission and has boat ramps, a canoe launch and nature trails, and the Saluda Riverwalk, a three-mile section of the Three Rivers Greenway opened in 2020 that runs past Riverbanks Zoo to the Broad River. The department stresses that river levels can change rapidly and that cold water can cause hypothermia even in summer, so wear a life jacket and check release schedules.

Housing in Columbia

Housing choices in Columbia span the city's neighborhoods and the suburbs in both counties, and tax outcomes differ by parcel: the same home carries different millage depending on county, municipality, school district and special districts. Before offering on a home, use Lexington County's online tax estimator or ask the county auditor for an estimate, confirm whether the owner has applied for the legal-residence assessment, and ask about any reassessment due in the county.

Retirees weighing Columbia against suburbs should compare drive times to Prisma Health and Lexington Health, to Columbia Metropolitan Airport and to the river and park amenities above. Each county has its own assessor and auditor offices, Lexington County's assessor being at 212 South Lake Drive, so a move across the county line changes whom to call as well as which rates apply.

Places near Columbia

• LexingtonA fast-growing South Carolina town in Lexington County, in the Midlands, where retirees get Lake Murray access, a large local hospital system and an inland cost structure, with county-level property-tax relief for owner-occupants and homeowners 65 and older.
• IrmoA small incorporated town on the Irmo side of Lake Murray, in the Midlands, whose land use and services sit in both Lexington and Richland counties and whose draw for retirees is lake access, town-run parks and a suburban, small-town feel.
• NewberryA small college city on Interstate 26 between Columbia and Greenville, centered on the 1881 Newberry Opera House, with a 90-bed independent community hospital, Lake Murray and Lake Greenwood nearby and a county tax structure with its own school millage.

Guides relevant to Columbia

• Healthcare Access Across the Carolinas: Hospitals, Trauma Centers and Medicare
• Property Tax Relief for Seniors: North Carolina vs South Carolina
• South Carolina Retirement Taxes: Income, Property, Vehicle and Sales Tax