Remote Workers and Relocating Professionals: The Upstate Guide
If you're working remotely from a high-cost metro and considering a relocation, the Upstate has been built for you over the last five years. Greenville ranked #4 of 150 on US News & World Report's 2024 Best Places to Live, has been named one of America's Best Small Cities by Condé Nast Traveler readers for seven consecutive years, and made Money magazine's top 10 list for working from home. Fiber and gigabit cable now cover most of the urban Upstate. Coworking and shared offices anchor downtown Greenville. And the cost-of-living math for a remote worker keeping their out-of-state salary is hard to beat — Greenville sits 9% below the national average, Spartanburg 15% below.
This page covers the infrastructure, the cost math, the lifestyle case, and what to know before you sign a lease or buy a home.
Why Greenville Keeps Showing Up on National Lists
US News & World Report 2024 Best Places to Live: Greenville ranked #4 of 150 (up from #31). Currently the #2 best place to live in South Carolina.
Condé Nast Traveler: Named one of America's Best Small Cities for seven consecutive years, peaking at #4 in 2023.
Money magazine: #9 on the "Best Places to Live if You Work from Home" list.
Travel + Leisure: Greenville has appeared on the World's Best Cities list.
The reason these rankings keep landing on Greenville is geography plus civic investment. The Reedy River runs through downtown with the 32-acre Falls Park and the Liberty Bridge over the falls themselves, downtown's Main Street is one of the most walkable in the Southeast, and the Swamp Rabbit Trail (28 miles of paved rail-trail) gets used as a real commuting artery, not just a tourist amenity.
The Cost-of-Living Math for Remote Workers
If you keep your out-of-state salary while moving to the Upstate, you capture the full gap between your origin metro and the local market. Concrete BestPlaces comparisons against Greenville SC as the baseline:
Boston, MA: 72.9% more expensive than Greenville. Housing leads.
New York City: 47.4% more expensive (Manhattan 149.6%).
Washington DC: 33.2% more expensive.
Atlanta: 23.3% more expensive.
Charlotte: 12.4% more expensive.
Tampa: 14.5% more expensive.
Add SC's 2026 income tax restructure (1.99% / 5.21% two-bracket), no Social Security tax, no estate or inheritance tax, and the 4% primary-residence property assessment ratio, and the all-in tax + living-cost delta is one of the largest in the country for buyers moving from the Northeast or West Coast. Full cost of living page.
Internet and Fiber Infrastructure
The Upstate has gone from "decent broadband" five years ago to "competitive with major metros" today. Key providers:
AT&T Fiber. Symmetric fiber-to-the-home in much of Greenville and Spartanburg. Speeds up to multi-gigabit on the highest tiers.
Spectrum cable. Near-universal coverage in both Greenville and Spartanburg (~91% each). Up to 2 Gbps download. Asymmetric upload but workable for video calls and most remote-work workflows.
Upcountry Fiber. Joint venture of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and West Carolina Telephone, with $44M+ in SC Broadband Office grants. Active build-out covering Anderson, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Oconee counties — particularly important for the more rural parts of the Upstate that legacy carriers haven't served.
Lumos. $150M+ invested in 2,200+ miles of fiber across Spartanburg and Greenville. Aggressive expansion through 2025-2026.
WOW! $30M+ in Greenville County.
The practical answer: if you're moving to anywhere reasonably built-out in Greenville or Spartanburg counties, you can almost certainly get gigabit or faster service. Always confirm the specific address before you commit to a lease or purchase.
Coworking and Shared Offices
OpenWorks Greenville (101 N. Main St., Suite 302) is the established downtown coworking option. Hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, and meeting rooms.
Multiple smaller shared-office providers operate across downtown Greenville, Augusta Road, and select suburban office parks. Spartanburg has a smaller but growing shared-office market anchored downtown.
For remote workers who occasionally need an in-person meeting space or a change of environment from home, the Upstate now offers real options — though the depth is thinner than what you'd find in NYC, Boston, or DC.
Best Neighborhoods for Remote Workers
Downtown Greenville and close-in neighborhoods. Walking distance to coffee shops, restaurants, and OpenWorks. Augusta Road, North Main, Alta Vista, Overbrook, and the Pettigru / Earle Street historic districts. Higher housing cost but you trade the cost for the walkability.
Greer and the Riverside HS corridor. Equidistant between downtown Greenville and downtown Spartanburg, with GSP airport 5-10 minutes away. Strong fit for remote workers who travel for work or family and value flight access. Browse Greer real estate.
Travelers Rest and the Swamp Rabbit Trail corridor. A growing remote-worker destination — smaller-town feel, the trail running through it, easy access to downtown Greenville. The trail-as-commute artery is real here.
Spartanburg downtown and District 7. Cheaper than Greenville with a smaller but growing downtown scene. Strong fit for remote workers who want urban character at a lower price point. Browse Spartanburg.
Western NC mountain communities. Hendersonville, Tryon, Brevard. Cooler summers, mountain views, and a slower pace. Internet infrastructure is less universal in the mountains — verify the specific property before committing. Browse Western NC.
Lifestyle — Why Remote Workers Stay
The Upstate's lifestyle pitch for remote workers is the combination of walkable downtown access, outdoor recreation an hour away, and a national-grade dining and arts scene at a small-city price point.
Outdoors. The Swamp Rabbit Trail, Paris Mountain State Park, the Blue Ridge Escarpment (Caesars Head, Jones Gap, Table Rock), Lake Hartwell, Lake Keowee, and the broader Western NC mountains an hour west. Cycling, hiking, fly-fishing, rock climbing, and kayaking are all within an easy weekend drive.
Downtown. Falls Park on the Reedy, the Liberty Bridge, the Peace Center performing arts venue, the Greenville Drive minor-league baseball stadium (Fluor Field), and a dense restaurant scene that has consistently drawn national press.
Travel. GSP airport 20-30 minutes from most of the Upstate, with 100+ daily nonstop flights via 8 airlines reaching ~30 destinations including LaGuardia, Newark, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Los Angeles, and most major Florida cities. Full airport page.
Community. The downtown population skews younger and more transplant-heavy than people expect. The transplant community is large enough that you don't feel like the only person at the coffee shop from out of state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Greenville a good place for remote workers?
Yes. Greenville ranked #9 nationally on Money magazine's "best places to live if you work from home" and #4 of 150 on US News' 2024 Best Places to Live. Fiber and gigabit cable cover most of the urban Upstate. Coworking spaces anchor downtown. The cost-of-living delta vs. major Northeast and West Coast metros is substantial.
How fast is the internet in Upstate SC?
Up to multi-gigabit symmetric fiber (AT&T Fiber) in much of Greenville and Spartanburg, and up to 2 Gbps cable (Spectrum) with ~91% coverage in both cities. Upcountry Fiber, Lumos, and WOW! are actively building out additional fiber. Always confirm the specific address.
Are there coworking spaces in Greenville?
Yes. OpenWorks Greenville (101 N. Main St.) is the established downtown coworking option. Multiple smaller shared-office providers operate across downtown Greenville and select suburban office parks. The depth is thinner than NYC or DC but adequate for most remote-worker needs.
What's the cost difference between working from home in NYC vs. Greenville?
NYC overall is 47.4% more expensive than Greenville (Manhattan 149.6% more expensive). Boston is 72.9% more expensive. DC is 33.2% more expensive. For a remote worker keeping their out-of-state salary, the full delta accrues to you. Add SC's 2026 income tax restructure and no SS tax, and the all-in math is dramatic.
Can I work remotely from the Western NC mountains?
In most cases yes, but internet coverage is less universal than in Greenville or Spartanburg. Hendersonville and Brevard have good coverage. More rural mountain addresses can have variable service. Always confirm the specific property's internet options before you commit.
What if I need to fly to a client meeting?
GSP airport handled 2.88 million passengers in 2024 with eight airlines and ~30 nonstop destinations. Most major US business hubs are accessible nonstop. For destinations GSP doesn't serve, Charlotte CLT (~1h 37m drive) offers the closest major international option. Full airport page.