Cost of Living in Pawleys Island
Pawleys Island's cost of living centers on genuinely expensive, if hard-to-pin-down, housing, Georgetown County's real (and comparatively lower) sales tax rate, and South Carolina's current two-bracket income tax.
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Learn moreHousing: genuinely expensive, with real price-data uncertainty
Zillow's average home value was $548,832 as of July 2026, essentially flat year over year (+0.1%). A separate source cited a $567,000 median sale price (+8% YoY), and listings ran a median $545,000 in July 2026 -- all consistent with a genuinely high-end market. One Redfin query returned an implausible $2.0M median sale figure this record deliberately excludes as a headline number given how inconsistent it is with the other sources; treat it as an unreliable small-sample outlier, not a confirmed price level.
Georgetown County's sales tax runs lower than Horry County's
Georgetown County's minimum combined sales tax rate is cited at 7% -- lower than the 8% minimum documented for Horry County (Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Little River) elsewhere in this dataset's Grand Strand batch, though some municipalities or special districts within the county may add local option taxes not captured in this county-wide floor.
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, not additive.
Income context carries a real small-sample caveat
A town-level median household income of $122,500 was cited, but this figure is computed from the incorporated town's roughly 130-170 residents and carries a genuine, disclosed margin-of-error caveat -- South Carolina's statewide median ($66,818) is included as broader context rather than treated as directly comparable.
Key takeaways
- Housing runs genuinely expensive ($545,000-$567,000 across most sources) with real, disclosed price-data uncertainty -- confirm current pricing directly.
- Georgetown County's 7% minimum combined sales tax runs lower than Horry County's 8% documented elsewhere in this dataset's Grand Strand batch.
- South Carolina's two-bracket income tax (2026): 1.99% under $30,000 taxable income, 5.21% above.
- A town-level $122,500 median household income figure carries a real small-sample-size caveat given the town's ~130-170 population.
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