Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
Prefer to talk? Call (713) 575-9904
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States
South Carolina is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $636/month for the median Silver plan, versus $680 — a difference of $44/month (7%) before subsidies.
| South Carolina | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $636 | $680 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $456 | $583 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $931 | $1,124 |
| Age 27 | $374 | $478 |
| Age 60 | $968 | $1,238 |
| Carriers | 6 | 4 |
| Counties | 46 | 67 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 7 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO | EPO, PPO |
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits; not a quote or an offer of coverage.
This page sets two states against each other. For county-by-county carriers, plan data and help actually enrolling, I publish a page for each state on Coverage by County: South Carolina or Alabama. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Change the age or income and both states recalculate: the 2027 marketplace price after any tax credit, and the private plan estimate.
| Monthly, age 45, $85,000 | South Carolina | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $778 | $880 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $778 | $880 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $350–$505 | $350–$470 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $1,219 a year more in Alabama than in South Carolina, at full price in both, since that income is over the tax-credit line.
2027 estimates: KFF 2026 benchmark raised by each state’s average 2027 change, on the federal age curve; 2027 tax credit rules. Your county will differ. Every state at once: what you would pay in each state.
Put your ZIP code in and a licensed agent will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to a licensed agent — not a call center.
Moving permanently from South Carolina to Alabama is a qualifying life event, so you get a 60-day special enrollment window counted from the move date — time enough to work through the 4 carriers filing in Alabama without waiting for open enrollment. Two conditions trip people up: you generally need to have held qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move, and relocating purely for treatment or a holiday will not qualify.
Nothing transfers. You close the South Carolina plan and enroll fresh against Alabama’s 67 counties, which means a new network and a new price regardless of which insurer you land on.
Of the 6 carriers in South Carolina and 4 in Alabama, UnitedHealthcare appears in both. That overlap is worth knowing if continuity of insurer matters to you, though the plan itself is new either way.
PPO availability is total on both sides, 46 counties in South Carolina and 67 in Alabama. If you expect to keep needing care in both, that plan type is the reason this pairing is more workable than most.
You cannot carry one plan in South Carolina and a second in Alabama. Eligibility follows primary residence, the address on your return, and everything received in the other state is normally out of network.
Picking between South Carolina and Alabama on the headline number is a mistake. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will show you what is actually filed for you.
★★★★★
“I run my own business and my time is valuable. Daniel handled everything — compared the private options, explained what I was actually getting, and had me covered fast. Way better experience than trying to navigate it myself.”