Cost Of Living in Surfside Beach, SC

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Surfside Beach	South Carolina	National
Cost of living	112	93	100
Goods & Services	97	100	100
Groceries	102	99	100
Health care	89	94	100
Housing	139	80	100
Transportation	88	91	100
Utilities	121	107	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Surfside Beach is 20% higher than the South Carolina average
The cost of living in Surfside Beach is 12% higher than the national average
Surfside Beach housing is 39% higher than the national average
South Carolina general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
South Carolina state income tax is 100% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$63,605	$5,300	$1,484	$1,908
Renters	$41,094	$3,425	$959	$1,233

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Surfside Beach, SC, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Surfside Beach, the median monthly income is $63,605 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,484 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $41,094, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $959 on monthly rental expenses.

South Carolina Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
South Carolina	6%	9%

South Carolina Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
South Carolina	0%	6.5%

Goods & Services

Item	Surfside Beach	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$26.38	$24.26	8.7%
Beauty Salon	$56.15	$45.56	23.2%
Toothpaste	$3.77	$3.70	1.8%
Shampoo	$1.38	$1.28	7.5%
Movie	$11.30	$12.13	6.8%
Bowling	$19.43	$18.00	8.0%

Groceries

Item	Surfside Beach	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.22	$5.84	6.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.67	$1.57	6.2%
Milk	$4.59	$4.67	1.8%
Potatoes	$5.51	$4.93	11.6%
Pizza	$10.83	$12.09	10.4%
Beer	$10.61	$10.41	1.9%

Health Care

Item	Surfside Beach	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$78.10	$125.68	37.9%
Doctor	$137.50	$135.78	1.3%
Dentist	$97.17	$113.29	14.2%
Ibuprofen	$10.75	$10.65	0.9%
Lipitor	$373.44	$468.60	20.3%

Housing

Item	Surfside Beach	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$276,800.00	$184,700.00	49.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,134.33	$2,346.69	9.0%
Apartment Rent	$1,091.00	$949.00	15.0%

Transportation

Item	Surfside Beach	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.18	$3.46	8.0%
Tire Balancing	$46.64	$59.92	22.2%

Utilities

Item	Surfside Beach	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$258.50	$193.99	33.3%
Phone	$194.25	$192.25	1.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Bucksport, SC	607	84	15.5%
Garden City, SC	11,193	98	2.5%
Socastee, SC	25,846	98	1.6%
Red Hill, SC	16,290	99	1.3%
Atlantic Beach, SC	237	101	0.6%
Surfside Beach, SC	4,470	112	11.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Sherman, IL	4,470	104	3.5%
Fort Pierce South, FL	4,468	96	3.8%
Viroqua, WI	4,472	91	9.5%
Watertown, MN	4,473	101	1.1%
South Greeley, WY	4,473	88	12.1%
Surfside Beach, SC	4,470	112	11.6%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Surfside Beach, SC