South Carolina is best known as The Palmetto State to many, but to America’s 65 and older crowd, it’s known as one of the best places to retire in the country.
If you want to retire to South Carolina, today is your lucky day. We created a list of the top ten best places to retire in this Southern charm for 2026.
To find the best places to retire, we looked at the most recent FBI and Census data for 40 South Carolina cities with 10,000 residents. We then compared factors that most retirees find important, like safety, affordability, rent, and how close the city is to an international airport.
South Carolina might not be one of the top ten safest states, but it does have some super safe places. In terms of affordability, it is one of the most tax-friendly states. It currently does not tax Social Security benefits and has very generous breaks for retirement income. And South Carolina’s property taxes are low.
$866 median rent · $56,650 median income · #4 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Horry County, South CarolinaConway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 16,317 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,408 median rent · $142,000 median income · #27 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
York County, South CarolinaData | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,261 median rent · $60,394 median income · #19 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Horry County, South CarolinaMyrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$2,256 median rent · $111,281 median income · #40 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Beaufort County, South CarolinaBluffton is a Lowcountry town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is primarily located around U.S. Route 278, between Hilton Head Island and Interstate 95. The town’s original one square mile area, now known as Old Town, is situated on a bluff along the May River. The population was counted by the 2010 census at 12,893. Bluffton is the fastest growing municipality in South Carolina with a population over 2,500, growing 882.7% between the 2000 and 2010 census. Bluffton is the fifth largest municipality in South Carolina by land area. The town is a primary city within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bluffton is known for its eclectic Old Town district and natural views of the May River. It has been called “the last true coastal village of the South.”
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,406 median rent · $78,365 median income · #26 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$947 median rent · $66,299 median income · #6 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Pickens County, South CarolinaEasley is a city in Pickens County in the State of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$848 median rent · $38,635 median income · #3 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Orangeburg County, South CarolinaOrangeburg, also known as The Garden City, is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2010 United States census. The city is located 37 miles southeast of Columbia, on the north fork of the Edisto River in the Piedmont area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,180 median rent · $76,746 median income · #13 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Aiken County, South CarolinaFounded in 1835, the city of Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the South Carolina Railroad. The town is the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States, which was formed in 1871 from parts of Orangeburg, Lexington, Edgefield, and Barnwell counties. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South Carolina Aiken. The population was 30,296 at the 2013 census. Aiken was recognized with the All-America City Award in 1997 by the National Civic League.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,263 median rent · $72,722 median income · #20 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Horry County, South CarolinaData | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,169 median rent · $86,092 median income · #12 cheapest rent in South Carolina
Located in
Edgefield County, South CarolinaNorth Augusta is a city in Aiken and Edgefield counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, on the north bank of the Savannah River. The population was 21,348 at the 2010 census. The city is included in the Central Savannah River Area and is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Carolina’s statewide median.
South Carolina statewide median: $69,324
South Carolina statewide median: $304,083
On the map
Where to retire in South Carolina
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Palmetto State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in South Carolina to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Palmetto State — 394 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 40 places from across the state.
For these 40, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 40, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Conway, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in South Carolina.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conway | 14.10 | 27,263 | $56,650 | $286,177 | $866 |
| 2 | Tega Cay | 15.20 | 13,615 | $142,000 | $611,048 | $1,408 |
| 3 | Myrtle Beach | 16.30 | 38,371 | $60,394 | $320,925 | $1,261 |
| 4 | Bluffton | 16.80 | 33,157 | $111,281 | $498,492 | $2,256 |
| 5 | Hardeeville | 17.00 | 10,871 | $78,365 | $426,445 | $1,406 |
| 6 | Easley | 17.40 | 24,841 | $66,299 | $315,980 | $947 |
| 7 | Orangeburg | 17.40 | 13,253 | $38,635 | $162,436 | $848 |
| 8 | Aiken | 17.60 | 32,521 | $76,746 | $272,072 | $1,180 |
| 9 | North Myrtle Beach | 17.70 | 19,855 | $72,722 | $390,621 | $1,263 |
| 10 | North Augusta | 17.90 | 25,653 | $86,092 | $265,723 | $1,169 |
| 11 | Mount Pleasant | 18.00 | 93,993 | $124,755 | $875,092 | $2,159 |
| 12 | Hanahan | 18.10 | 21,452 | $87,984 | $404,452 | $1,412 |
| 13 | Moncks Corner | 18.20 | 15,485 | $91,500 | $360,391 | $1,307 |
| 14 | Florence | 18.60 | 40,408 | $56,143 | $219,285 | $992 |
| 15 | Charleston | 18.70 | 154,338 | $92,414 | $589,607 | $1,722 |
| 16 | Fort Mill | 19.00 | 30,775 | $121,823 | $527,208 | $1,503 |
| 17 | Newberry | 19.10 | 10,790 | $51,260 | $166,455 | $831 |
| 18 | Spartanburg | 19.30 | 38,910 | $51,964 | $233,687 | $1,099 |
| 19 | Summerville | 19.70 | 51,654 | $81,046 | $376,903 | $1,526 |
| 20 | Gaffney | 19.80 | 12,596 | $41,089 | $185,841 | $887 |
| 21 | Rock Hill | 20.00 | 75,259 | $68,771 | $326,184 | $1,341 |
| 22 | Lexington | 20.20 | 24,585 | $87,126 | $303,204 | $1,545 |
| 23 | Greenwood | 20.20 | 22,536 | $41,150 | $183,963 | $839 |
| 24 | Beaufort | 20.40 | 13,747 | $61,220 | $412,456 | $1,212 |
| 25 | Fountain Inn | 20.50 | 12,020 | $73,585 | $305,626 | $1,184 |
| 26 | Irmo | 21.90 | 11,813 | $80,489 | $281,255 | $1,477 |
| 27 | Forest Acres | 22.20 | 10,530 | $78,306 | $335,524 | $1,263 |
| 28 | Mauldin | 22.30 | 27,055 | $82,331 | $297,318 | $1,490 |
| 29 | Goose Creek | 22.70 | 48,078 | $88,178 | $318,055 | $1,690 |
| 30 | Sumter | 22.90 | 43,053 | $55,592 | $213,463 | $1,076 |
| 31 | Greenville | 23.10 | 72,935 | $71,472 | $327,592 | $1,312 |
| 32 | West Columbia | 23.50 | 17,963 | $56,912 | $226,049 | $1,201 |
| 33 | Clemson | 24.80 | 18,072 | $49,520 | $396,341 | $1,007 |
| 34 | Columbia | 25.20 | 139,643 | $55,529 | $229,068 | $1,204 |
| 35 | North Charleston | 25.30 | 119,913 | $62,956 | $309,522 | $1,430 |
| 36 | Greer | 25.40 | 41,536 | $82,626 | $348,460 | $1,198 |
| 37 | Anderson | 25.40 | 30,051 | $46,933 | $272,108 | $975 |
| 38 | Simpsonville | 25.70 | 26,144 | $82,457 | $377,970 | $1,415 |
| 39 | Cayce | 26.10 | 13,741 | $62,045 | $210,165 | $1,360 |
| 40 | Port Royal | 26.30 | 15,579 | $74,870 | $355,157 | $1,726 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 40 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In South Carolina Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in South Carolina goes to Conway.
The best places to retire in South Carolina are Conway, Tega Cay, Myrtle Beach, Bluffton, Hardeeville, Easley, Orangeburg, Aiken, North Myrtle Beach, and North Augusta.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
