Cost of Living & Housing in Cheraw
Cheraw offers real, disclosed housing affordability across every source consulted, but those sources disagree sharply on the exact number, and the town's own income and poverty figures run considerably weaker than the surrounding county's.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreA combined 8% sales tax rate, and a moderate property tax rate
Cheraw's combined 2026 sales tax rate is 8% -- South Carolina's 6% state rate plus a 1% Cheraw city rate plus an additional 1% -- matching Darlington elsewhere in this dataset's SC Tier C batch and two points above Walhalla's flat 6% (base record). Chesterfield County's median effective property tax rate is cited at approximately 0.52%, below the roughly 0.66% South Carolina median, though rates range from 0.46% to 1.30% within the county depending on local school-district and special-assessment levies.
South Carolina's real, two-bracket income tax
South Carolina is not a no-income-tax state and not a flat-rate state: under Act 110 (signed March 30, 2026), SC taxable income is taxed at 1.99% up to $30,000 and 5.21% above that, with Social Security fully exempt and age-65/retirement-income deductions coordinated (not additive) up to a combined $15,000 cap (base record).
A real, wide, unresolved housing-price spread
Cheraw's home-price data disagreed sharply across sources this pass: Movoto cited a $239,000 median listing price for July 2026; Homes.com cited a considerably lower $165,000 median sale price over the trailing 12 months (up 10% YoY); and Redfin cited a sharply lower still $73,000 median for a single recent month (down 56.2% YoY) -- almost certainly reflecting extreme small-sample volatility given Cheraw's low transaction volume rather than a genuine market collapse (base record). None of these figures should be treated as the single reliable number; current listings should be checked directly before making decisions.
A real, disclosed gap between Cheraw's own figures and Chesterfield County's
Cheraw's own 2024 ACS figures show a median household income of $26,689 -- about half of Chesterfield County's broader $49,235 -- with 37% of persons below the poverty line (base record). This real, disclosed contrast between the town itself and the wider county is not smoothed over here, and matters for anyone budgeting against local wage levels rather than countywide averages.
Key takeaways
- Cheraw's combined 8% sales tax matches Darlington elsewhere in this dataset and runs two points above Walhalla's; its roughly 0.52% effective Chesterfield County property tax rate is still below the state and national medians.
- South Carolina's real Act 110 income tax (1.99% under $30,000 taxable income, 5.21% above) applies here as statewide, with Social Security fully exempt and coordinated 65+ deductions capped at $15,000 combined.
- Home prices carry a real, wide, unresolved spread this pass ($73,000 to $239,000 depending on source and measure) -- current listings should be checked directly rather than relying on any single cited figure.
- Cheraw's own median household income ($26,689) and poverty rate (37%) run considerably weaker than Chesterfield County's broader figures -- a real, disclosed gap, not smoothed over.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full Cheraw overview for the complete picture -- housing, taxes, climate, and who this place genuinely fits.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert