Cost of Living in Little River
Little River's cost of living centers on a genuinely softening housing market, an in-line median household income relative to the county and state, and Horry County's real sales/property tax structure -- with no separate municipal tax layer.
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Learn moreA softening housing market keeps costs comparatively contained
Redfin's 3-month-trailing median sale price through May 2026 was $292,000, down 8.3% year over year; Zillow's average home value was $321,349, down 1.3%. Both point toward genuinely easing housing costs relative to a year earlier -- a different, more affordable trend than some pricier Grand Strand markets in this batch.
Income runs in line with county and state averages
Little River's median household income ($65,786) sits close to both Horry County's ($64,623) and South Carolina's statewide figure ($66,818) -- a genuinely unremarkable, in-line income profile rather than a notably affluent or notably strained one. The poverty rate (12.7%) runs modestly above the statewide figure.
No separate municipal tax layer
As an unincorporated CDP, Little River has no independent town government and therefore no separate municipal property or sales tax -- residents pay Horry County's rates directly (8% minimum combined sales tax; South Carolina's 4% owner-occupied property assessment ratio) without an additional town-level layer some incorporated Grand Strand towns carry.
South Carolina's real, current two-bracket income tax
Act 110 set South Carolina's income tax at 1.99% on the first $30,000 of SC taxable income and 5.21% above that, effective tax year 2026 -- Social Security fully exempt, with a coordinated (not additive) $15,000 combined maximum age-65/retirement-income deduction.
Key takeaways
- Housing costs have genuinely softened here relative to a year earlier -- a $292,000 median sale price (Redfin, 3-mo trailing May 2026), down 8.3% YoY.
- Median household income ($65,786) runs in line with Horry County and South Carolina statewide figures -- not notably affluent or strained.
- No separate municipal tax layer, since Little River is an unincorporated CDP -- only county and state taxes apply.
- South Carolina's two-bracket income tax (2026): 1.99% under $30,000 taxable income, 5.21% above.
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