Cost of Living in Murrells Inlet
Murrells Inlet's cost of living centers on a genuinely wide housing-price range, a real two-county sales-tax split, and South Carolina's current two-bracket income tax.
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Learn moreHousing costs vary widely by source and, plausibly, by specific location
Redfin's 3-month-trailing median sale price through June 2026 was $495,000 (+7.0% YoY); Movoto cited a lower $449,900; Properties Incorporated cited $445,000 (-1.0% YoY); Houzeo cited a starkly lower $334,500 (-22.49% YoY). This real, wide, unresolved spread most plausibly reflects the community's genuine diversity of property types and locations rather than a single homogeneous market.
A real, address-dependent sales-tax split
Because Murrells Inlet straddles the Georgetown County/Horry County line, the combined sales tax rate genuinely differs by specific address: a 7% minimum on the Georgetown County side versus an 8% minimum on the Horry County side.
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 is fully exempt; the age-65 and retirement-income deductions are coordinated for a combined $15,000 maximum.
Income runs above the county/state medians
Murrells Inlet's median household income ($77,438) runs notably above both Horry County's ($64,623) and South Carolina's statewide figure ($66,818) documented elsewhere in this batch -- a genuinely more affluent income profile than several other Grand Strand markets.
Key takeaways
- Housing prices carry a genuinely wide range across sources this session ($334,500-$495,000) -- confirm current, address-specific pricing directly.
- A real, address-dependent sales-tax split applies: 7% minimum (Georgetown County side) vs. 8% minimum (Horry County side).
- South Carolina's two-bracket income tax (2026): 1.99% under $30,000 taxable income, 5.21% above.
- Median household income ($77,438) runs notably above the county and state averages -- a genuinely more affluent profile than several other batch markets.
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