Moving from South Carolina to Davie, FL: 2026 Guide

Should you move from South Carolina to Davie, Florida?

Moving from South Carolina to Davie trades one warm state for another, so the real drivers are no Florida state income tax, the South Florida job market, and family, not a lower cost of living. South Carolina already has lower property taxes, cheaper home insurance, and its own coast. In Davie you get larger single family lots, acreage, and a short drive to the beach, but you should plan for higher insurance and verify every number for your specific home.

If you are weighing the Lowcountry or the Upstate against Broward County, you are not escaping cold winters or high taxes the way a buyer from New York or New Jersey is. South Carolina is a comfortable, relatively low cost state. That changes the decision, and it changes what you should look at before you buy. Here is the honest version, from someone who grew up here and works this market.

What actually changes when you leave South Carolina

Start with the one number that moves in your favor. Florida has no state income tax, written into the state constitution, which you can confirm through the Florida Department of Revenue. South Carolina still taxes personal income. For 2026 the state moved to two rates, about 1.99 percent on taxable income up to 30,000 dollars and about 5.21 percent above that, with more cuts planned in future years. Confirm the current brackets with the South Carolina Department of Revenue before you file. If you are a high earner or you are about to sell a business, that difference is real money every year. If you live on modest retirement income, the income tax savings are smaller than the marketing makes them sound.

Now the parts that move against you, and this is where South Carolina buyers get surprised.

• Property taxes. South Carolina’s owner occupied property tax is one of the lowest in the country, generally around half of one percent of value. Florida’s typically runs higher. Your Davie bill depends on the home’s assessed value and the local millage, so verify the current rate and your homestead adjusted number with the Broward County Property Appraiser rather than trusting an online estimate. I walk through the whole picture in this guide to Davie property taxes.
• Home insurance. This is the big one. Florida homeowners insurance is the most expensive in the country, and a Broward premium will usually run well above what you paid in Columbia, Greenville, or even Charleston. Roof age, wind mitigation, and flood zone swing the number hard, so get a quote for the specific address before you fall in love with it. You can read the state context from Citizens Property Insurance, the state backed insurer, and learn how to line up insurance before closing.
• Housing cost. South Florida home prices sit above most of South Carolina outside the premium coastal pockets. The current single family median in Davie is $893,000 (single-family median, trailing 182 days ending Oct 19, 2026, based on 192 listings, per BeachesMLS).

So the honest framing is this. You are not moving to Davie to save money on carrying costs. You are moving for no income tax, for the job market, for family who are already here, or for the specific life South Florida offers. Buyers coming from other income tax free states like Texas make a different calculation than you do, and I lay that out in the Texas to Davie guide. Run your own numbers against mine in this breakdown of what it actually costs to live in Davie.

What your money buys in Davie

Davie is horse country inside a major metro. The town sits in Broward County, inland from the Atlantic, and it is built around large single family lots, acreage, equestrian zoning, and gated communities rather than the dense beach condos you see to the east. That land is the draw for a lot of South Carolina buyers who want room, a pool, maybe a paddock, without leaving the suburbs.

The western acreage corridor is where the estates live. Long Lake Ranches (33330) and Hawkes Bluff (33330) sit in the far western ZIP codes with large lots and, in the case of Long Lake Ranches, a gated entrance. Central Davie homes in the 33324, 33325, and 33328 ZIP codes tend toward more traditional subdivision lots at a lower entry price. Davie spans several residential ZIP codes, so where you land inside town changes the price and the feel. The Town of Davie publishes zoning and permitting detail if you want to confirm what you can build on a given parcel.

One question I hear from almost every South Carolina buyer: is Davie near the beach? Davie itself is inland, but most of the town is a short drive from the Broward coast, so you keep beach access without paying beachfront insurance and prices. You also keep an easy trip home. Flights back to Charleston, Columbia, or Greenville run out of three nearby airports, which I rank in this guide to the closest airport to Davie.

If you are relocating sight unseen or on a tight timeline, the single family focus matters. I only work single family homes, houses, acreage, and no HOA estates, which is exactly the inventory most South Carolina relocation buyers are after. For the full picture of the town, schools by zone, and the move itself, start with the complete guide to moving to Davie.

Planning the move from South Carolina to Davie

The buyers who have the smoothest move treat it as a sequence, not a single leap. Here is the order I give mine.

1. Get insurance quotes before you write an offer. In Florida the premium can make or break the monthly payment, so price it on the actual address early. A great house with an old roof in the wrong zone can cost more to insure than you expect.

2. Establish Florida residency and file for homestead. Once Davie is your primary home, filing homestead with the Broward County Property Appraiser reduces your taxable value and caps how fast your assessment can rise each year. Confirm the deadline and the current exemption amount with the county.

3. Line up financing with a lender who knows Florida. Insurance, flood, and HOA estoppel costs all feed the closing. A local lender prices them correctly the first time.

4. Work the search around land and insurance, not just the house. Lot size, flood zone, roof age, and wind mitigation drive your real monthly cost in Davie more than the kitchen does.

Every one of these has a South Carolina specific wrinkle, from timing your residency to handling the sale of your current home. That sequencing is exactly the kind of thing I plan with buyers before we ever tour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Davie than in South Carolina?

Usually no, and that surprises people. South Carolina has lower property taxes and much cheaper home insurance, and home prices outside its premium coastal areas tend to run below South Florida. The Florida advantage is no state income tax, not a lower cost of living. Run the full comparison for your income and your target home before you decide.

Does moving to Florida really save me on taxes if I come from South Carolina?

It depends on your income. Florida has no state income tax, while South Carolina taxes personal income at about 1.99 percent and 5.21 percent for 2026 per the South Carolina Department of Revenue. High earners and business sellers save the most. On modest retirement income the savings are smaller and can be offset by higher insurance.

Is Davie close to the beach?

Davie is inland in Broward County, so it has no beach of its own, but most of the town is a short drive from the Atlantic coast. You trade a beachfront walk for lower insurance, larger lots, and more single family inventory, while keeping easy beach access on weekends.

What kind of homes does Davie have for South Carolina buyers who want land?

Davie is known for large single family lots, acreage, equestrian properties, and gated communities, especially in the western ZIP codes like 33330. If you want room for a pool or horses without leaving the metro, that inventory is the reason buyers choose Davie over denser coastal towns.

Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert

If you are seriously planning a move from South Carolina to Davie, the best next step is a direct conversation about your numbers, your timeline, and the kind of home and lot you want. I am a Davie native and a Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker, and I built livingindavieflorida.com to answer exactly these questions. Schedule a strategy call and we will map the move together.

Anthony Spitaleri

Broker Associate, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Realty

Creator of Living in Davie, Florida

Davie, Florida | Serving Davie, Weston and surrounding Broward markets

954-235-5783

Florida License BK3281907

@livingindavieflorida

Written by Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty and a Davie native. More about Anthony