Cost of Living in Beaufort
Beaufort's cost of living centers on a real, wide-sourced housing-price range ($253,000-$608,000 depending on source and geography), South Carolina's real two-bracket income tax, and homeowners insurance running a genuine 23% premium over the SC state average.
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Learn moreHousing: a real, meaningfully wide range across sources and geography
Zillow's average home value cited $416,734 (up 1.3% YoY); Redfin's Beaufort-city-proper figure cited $504,000 last month (up a likely small-sample-driven 21.5% YoY); Redfin's broader Beaufort COUNTY figure (including Bluffton and Hilton Head) cited $608,000; and a separately-dated Forbes retirement-destination citation put the median at just $253,000, 23% below the national average. Treat any single figure as directional only.
Rent runs a real, moderate level relative to the wider Beaufort County market
RentCafe's 2026 figures cite a $1,726/month average across all units (up 2.5% YoY), ranging from $1,558 for a one-bedroom to $1,943 for a three-bedroom -- close to, though a bit below, Bluffton's own rent figures cited elsewhere in this dataset.
South Carolina's real income tax and Beaufort's disclosed sales tax range
South Carolina applies a real, two-bracket income tax under Act 110 (1.99% on the first $30,000 of SC taxable income, 5.21% above) -- not a no-income-tax state. Beaufort's combined sales tax carries a real, disclosed range of 6.0%-7.0% depending on source.
Key takeaways
- Beaufort's home price sourcing ranged widely this pass ($253,000-$608,000 depending on source and geography) -- treat any single figure as directional only.
- Rent averages $1,726/month per RentCafe (2026), up a real 2.5% year-over-year.
- South Carolina's real 1.99%/5.21% two-bracket income tax applies; Beaufort's combined sales tax carries a real, disclosed 6.0%-7.0% range.
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