Cost of Living & Housing in Darlington
Darlington offers real, disclosed housing affordability and a real manufacturing employment base, but its combined 8% sales tax runs higher than some of this dataset's other SC Tier C markets, and its own city-level income figures trail the surrounding county's by a wide, disclosed margin.
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Learn moreA higher combined sales tax rate than some nearby SC Tier C markets
Darlington's combined 2026 sales tax rate is 8% -- South Carolina's 6% state rate plus a 1% Darlington County local-option tax plus a 1% special tax -- a full two points above Walhalla's flat 6% elsewhere in this dataset's SC Tier C batch (base record). Darlington County's effective property tax rate carries a real, disclosed spread across sources, roughly 0.43%-0.92%, with 0.49% used here as a representative middle estimate rather than a precise figure.
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).
Real, disclosed housing affordability -- and real recent volatility
Redfin cited a $227,000 average city sale price for Darlington 'last month,' down a sharp 19.3% year over year -- likely reflecting small-sample swings typical of a small market. Darlington County's broader trailing-3-month median was a steadier $222,000, down a more moderate 5.6% YoY (base record). Both figures point to real affordability relative to national medians, but the recent decline and volatility should be checked against current listings rather than treated as a stable trend.
A real, disclosed gap between city and county economic figures
Darlington's own city-level 2023 ACS figures show a $31,240 median household income and a 25.4% family poverty rate -- considerably less favorable than Darlington County's broader $48,581 median income and 21.09% poverty rate (base record). This real, disclosed contrast between the incorporated city and the wider county is not smoothed over here, and matters for anyone budgeting against local wage levels rather than countywide averages.
Key takeaways
- Darlington's combined 8% sales tax (6% state + 1% county + 1% special tax) runs higher than some other SC Tier C markets in this dataset, though its roughly 0.49% effective county property tax rate is still well below the national median.
- 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 show real, disclosed affordability alongside real recent volatility ($227,000 average city sale price, down 19.3% YoY, vs. a steadier $222,000 county median, down 5.6% YoY).
- Darlington's own city-level median household income ($31,240) and poverty rate (25.4% of families) run considerably less favorable than Darlington County's broader figures -- a real, disclosed gap, not smoothed over.
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