Taxes & Insurance in Surfside Beach
Surfside Beach follows Horry County's real property-tax and sales-tax structure and South Carolina's current two-bracket income tax, with the same coastal Horry County homeowners-insurance cost pressure documented for Myrtle Beach.
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Learn moreProperty tax: a real, favorable owner-occupied assessment ratio
South Carolina assesses owner-occupied primary residences at 4% of value versus 6% for non-owner-occupied and rental property -- a real, meaningful difference for anyone weighing a primary residence against a second home or rental here. Horry County's owner-occupied combined millage runs approximately 281 mills at the county level (reused from this dataset's Myrtle Beach research); a Surfside-specific municipal millage was not independently confirmed this session.
Sales tax: an 8% minimum combined rate
Horry County's minimum combined sales tax rate is 8% (South Carolina's 6% state rate plus county and local add-ons) -- the same rate that applies throughout the county, including Myrtle Beach.
South Carolina's two-bracket income tax, restated at the town level
Act 110 (signed March 30, 2026) 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 ($15,000) and retirement-income (up to $10,000) deductions are coordinated, not additive, for a combined $15,000 maximum -- a genuine distinction some secondary sources blur.
Homeowners insurance: real coastal cost pressure
South Carolina ranks among the more expensive states for homeowners insurance nationally, and Horry County's coastal exposure carries real, documented upward premium pressure (a projected roughly 90% increase over the coming decade per this dataset's Myrtle Beach research) -- factor this into any Surfside Beach ownership budget alongside mandatory flood insurance in FEMA high-risk zones.
Key takeaways
- South Carolina's 4% owner-occupied vs. 6% non-owner-occupied property assessment ratio is a real, meaningful cost difference for primary-residence buyers here.
- Combined sales tax runs an 8% minimum, shared countywide with Horry County.
- South Carolina's two-bracket income tax (2026): 1.99% under $30,000 taxable income, 5.21% above; Social Security fully exempt.
- Real, documented coastal homeowners-insurance cost pressure applies here as in the rest of Horry County -- budget for continued increases and confirm current flood-zone status.
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