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 $805 — a difference of $169/month (27%) before subsidies.
| South Carolina | Utah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $636 | $805 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $456 | $559 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $931 | $1,125 |
| Age 27 | $374 | $526 |
| Age 60 | $968 | $1,134 |
| Carriers | 6 | 6 |
| Counties | 46 | 29 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 1 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO | EPO, HMO |
Network note: Utah 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 Utah. 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 | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $778 | $777 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $778 | $777 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $350–$505 | $260–$435 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $17 a year more in South Carolina than in Utah, 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.
You do not have to wait for the next open enrollment. A permanent move between these two opens a 60-day special enrollment period from the day you arrive, which is the window in which you would pick from the 6 carriers writing across Utah’s 29 counties. Watch the fine print: qualifying coverage for at least one day in the preceding 60 is generally required, and a move for medical care or a vacation does not count.
Nothing transfers. You close the South Carolina plan and enroll fresh against Utah’s 29 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 6 in Utah, Molina Healthcare 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 29 in Utah. Since the PPO is the one type that reliably pays out of network, moving into Utah narrows where you can be seen rather than just changing what you pay.
You cannot carry one plan in South Carolina and a second in Utah. Eligibility follows primary residence, the address on your return, and everything received in the other state is normally out of network.
State averages hide enormous county-level spread. Whichever of South Carolina or Utah you are in, your ZIP is what sets your premium.
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