Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
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South Carolina is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $636/month for the median Silver plan, versus $765 — a difference of $128/month (20%) before subsidies.
| South Carolina | Kansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $636 | $765 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $456 | $565 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $931 | $979 |
| Age 27 | $374 | $463 |
| Age 60 | $968 | $1,200 |
| Carriers | 6 | 6 |
| Counties | 46 | 105 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 14 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO | EPO |
Network note: Kansas has no PPO plans in 2026 while South Carolina does.
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 Kansas. 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 | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $778 | $905 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $778 | $905 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $350–$505 | $255–$475 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $1,519 a year more in Kansas 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.
A South Carolina-to-Kansas move triggers a 60-day special enrollment period, so the 6 carriers filing in Kansas are open to you outside the usual window. The catch is on both ends — you normally need to have carried qualifying coverage for a day or more in the 60 days before moving, and moves made for treatment or travel are excluded.
Coverage does not port across the state line. Ending in South Carolina and starting in Kansas is two separate transactions, and the plan you end up with in Kansas is priced on its own county, not on what you paid before.
Of the 6 carriers in South Carolina and 6 in Kansas, UnitedHealthcare appears in both. That overlap is worth knowing if continuity of insurer matters to you, though the plan itself is new either way.
The plan types do not match up. PPOs cover all 46 counties in South Carolina and zero of the 105 in Kansas. Since the PPO is the one type that reliably pays out of network, moving into Kansas narrows where you can be seen rather than just changing what you pay.
Only one of the two can be your plan state. Marketplace eligibility runs on primary residence, so if you file from South Carolina the Kansas care is the out-of-network half, and the reverse if you file from Kansas.
Neither South Carolina nor Kansas has one price. Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will pull the plans in that county and work out what help you qualify for.
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