Updated: October 14, 2026
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Auto-Owners is both the best and the cheapest renters insurance company at $121 a year, but it scores lowest of the top five on coverage options, so renters who want more add-ons should get quotes from State Farm or Lemonade.
Coastal renters in South Carolina pay more for coverage. Charleston's average cost is $91 above Leesville's, and the carrier you choose drives most of that cost difference.
Credit can change the best pick. Poor credit roughly doubles premiums with most South Carolina insurers, but Lemonade is the cheapest option for renters with poor credit.
Auto-Owners ranks first among the 11 South Carolina renters insurers compared, with a MoneyGeek score of 4.8 out of 5 and the lowest premium at $121 a year, $118 below the $239 carrier average.
These five companies earned the highest MoneyGeek scores for good-credit renters buying $20,000 in personal property coverage.
4.8 | $10 | $121 | |
4.8 | $14 | $169 | |
4.6 | $12 | $143 | |
4.6 | $15 | $177 | |
Cincinnati Insurance | 4.5 | $24 | $292 |
Our ratings of the best renters insurance companies consider different combinations of coverage levels and renter details to identify the best overall options. Affordability carries 50% of each score, customer experience 40% and add-on coverage options 10%. Rankings may differ based on your profile.
Rates are for renters aged 26 to 64 with good credit and no claims in the last five years, living in an apartment or condo, with $20,000 in personal property coverage, $100,000 in liability coverage, replacement cost and a $500 deductible.
See our methodology for more information.
Auto-Owners leads on price and service, but its policy pays depreciated value unless replacement cost is added. State Farm costs $49 more and adds water backup, which pays for backed-up drains and sewer lines in ground-floor or basement units during storm season, plus scheduled coverage for high-value items. Lemonade costs $56 more and pays replacement cost as standard, so a total loss from fire or wind damage is paid at today’s prices instead of depreciated value.
Auto-Owners has no online quote or app-based claims filing, so renters who want to buy and file digitally should start with Lemonade, State Farm or Allstate.
Best Overall and Cheapest
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J.D. Power Renters Insurance Customer Satisfaction Score
Best for Agent Support and Add-On Options
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J.D. Power Renters Insurance Customer Satisfaction Score
Best National Insurer at a Low Price
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J.D. Power Renters Insurance Customer Satisfaction Score
Auto-Owners offers the cheapest renters insurance in South Carolina at $121 a year ($10 a month) for $20,000 in personal property coverage, and seven of the 11 carriers price below the $239 state average.
In 2024, 53% of South Carolina renter households put 30% or more of their income toward housing, more than double the 20% share among homeowners, so choosing Auto-Owners over the average carrier frees up $118 a year in a budget where housing already takes a large share.
Auto-Owners Insurance | $10 | $121 | -$118 |
Allstate | $12 | $143 | -$96 |
Progressive | $13 | $153 | -$86 |
State Farm | $14 | $169 | -$70 |
Lemonade | $15 | $177 | -$62 |
USAA | $15 | $182 | -$57 |
Nationwide | $16 | $195 | -$44 |
Cincinnati Insurance | $24 | $292 | +$53 |
Farmers | $26 | $306 | +$67 |
Farm Bureau | $31 | $367 | +$128 |
Travelers | $39 | $465 | +$226 |
State average | $20 | $239 | n/a |
The $344 price difference between Auto-Owners and Travelers is nearly three times Auto-Owners' own $121 premium, so pull at least three quotes and include Allstate ($143) and Progressive ($153), the next two cheapest.
South Carolina renters pay $239 annually for renters insurance on average, $43 higher than the national average cost of renters insurance of $196. These figures are based on coverage with $20,000 in personal property protection, $100,000 in liability limits and a $500 deductible.
Many landlords require renters insurance even though South Carolina doesn't mandate it by law. Property managers often mandate coverage to protect themselves from liability claims, with many requiring minimum liability limits of $100,000 or more. Your landlord can require coverage as part of your lease agreement. Check your lease before moving in to see if you need a policy.
Typical personal property coverage ranges from $20,000 to $50,000 for most renters' belongings. To calculate your personal property coverage, inventory your apartment and estimate replacement costs for electronics, furniture, clothing and other belongings. Select at least $100,000 in liability coverage to protect yourself if someone gets injured in your apartment.
Moving from $500 to $1,000 saves $16 a year and moving to $2,000 saves $30, so a $500 higher deductible would take about 31 claim-free years to pay for itself.
South Carolina requires insurers to send renewal terms and the premium at least 30 days before a policy expires; if they don't, you can cancel the renewal within 30 days of receiving the terms and pay the pro rata price of your policy's original rate. Use that window to price Allstate and Progressive against your renewal cost.
State Farm, Allstate and Auto-Owners each list a multi-policy discount that can help you save 10 to 25% on your coverage.
Auto-Owners is both South Carolina's best and cheapest renters insurer, at $121 a year and a 4.8 MoneyGeek score. The main reasons to consider another provider for a higher average price are replacement cost and add-on flexibility: State Farm costs $49 more and lets you add water backup, identity theft and scheduled valuables coverage, while Lemonade costs $56 more and offers replacement cost coverage in its standard policy. Start with quotes from Auto-Owners ($121), Allstate ($143) and State Farm ($169), and add Lemonade if your credit is poor.
Get free renters insurance rate estimates for South Carolina based on your coverage needs. Rates reflect a profile of renters aged 26 to 64 with no prior claims.
South Carolina renters pay a carrier average of $239 a year ($20 a month) for $20,000 in personal property coverage, with premiums running from $121 at Auto-Owners to $465 at Travelers. That $344 price difference makes comparing at least three quotes the largest saving available.
No South Carolina statute requires renters to carry it, but a landlord can write it into the lease, so check your lease for the required liability limit and compare it with the $100,000 limit priced in this comparison before you buy.
Most South Carolina renters need $20,000 to $50,000 in personal property coverage and $100,000 in liability protection. Add up replacement costs for your furniture, electronics, clothing and other belongings to calculate your needs. Your landlord may require specific coverage amounts, so check your lease before buying a policy.
Yes, within limits. In the first 120 days an insurer can cancel a new policy for any reason with 30 days' notice (10 for nonpayment). After that it can cancel only for nonpayment, material misrepresentation, a substantial change in the risk, a substantial breach of the policy or loss of reinsurance, and the notice must state the precise reason (S.C. Code § 38-75-730).
Nonrenewal requires 60 days' written notice stating the precise reason (§ 38-75-740), and the notice must tell you that you can ask the Director of the Department of Insurance to review the action within 30 days.
No. Standard renters policies exclude flood damage, and the October 2015 flood shows the cost of that gap: rainfall above 20 inches in places caused 19 deaths and $1.492 billion in state-reported damage (NOAA), in a state with about 2.2 million housing units and fewer than 200,000 flood policies.
Renters can buy a National Flood Insurance Program contents-only policy covering up to $100,000 of belongings in units above the lowest elevated floor, with a 30-day waiting period, so buy it before hurricane season instead of after a storm forms.
To find South Carolina renters insurers that pair low rates with strong service, MoneyGeek compared rates and ratings for 11 carriers. Average costs are calculated using quote data from Quadrant Information Services, and every company's rates were pulled for the same renter profile:
Each company was then scored on three factors. Affordability carries 50% of the score and comes from the rates above. Customer experience accounts for 40% and draws on industry research. Add-on coverage options make up the remaining 10%. The five companies with the highest combined scores form the top 5.
Mark Fitzpatrick is a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer and MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. In nearly a decade covering the insurance market at LendingTree and MoneyGeek, he's analyzed hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.
His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR. He draws on independent cost and consumer experience data, and no insurance company partnerships affect his recommendations.
Mark studied at Boston College and later earned a master's in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in financial risk management at State Street before joining MoneyGeek. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.
