You’re in luck if you’re looking for the cheapest locales to live in South Carolina.
The most affordable places in South Carolina offer more than low prices. They have convenient access to Charleston for a chilling ghost tour or a thrilling Gamecocks football game in Columbia. The low cost of real estate in South Carolina allows easy access to the state’s beaches, mountains, and palmetto trees without breaking your bank account.
We used Saturday Night Science and Census data to look at housing costs relative to incomes for every place in the Palmetto State. Here’s what we found.
$46,138 median income · $902 median rent · #4 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Chester County, South Carolina
Located in Chester County south of Charlotte, Chester is the the first least expensive city in the Palmetto State. The city’s cost of living index is 80. The average home price is the fourth lowest in the state at $128,680, according to Zillow.
The money you save on housing in Chester can go towards better ingredients for pimento cheese or BBQ on the weekends.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$41,150 median income · $839 median rent · #13 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Greenwood County, South Carolina
Greenwood, located in northwest South Carolina in Greenwood County, offers a cost-effective lifestyle with a $183,963 average home price and a $839 average rank. It’s ranked as the state’s second most affordable city.
The overall cost of living index of 84 supports cheap index values for utilities (96), services (95), and healthcare (60).
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$31,914 median income · $832 median rent · #5 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Union County, South Carolina
The county seat of Union County in the northern part of the state, Union ranks as the third cheapest place to live in South Carolina. Union enjoys a median rent of just $832, so anyone can afford to give this spot a try.
Homes in Union have a median price of $136,356, which is the fifth least expensive you can find in South Carolina. The overall cost of living in Union is only slightly lower than the South Carolina average, but in terms of housing, Union is 40% cheaper than the rest of the state.
For fans of American history, the Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site offers a rare glimpse at South Carolina’s history in one of the best-preserved plantation homes from the era. There are also short, well-maintained hiking trails in the area if you’re just looking for a place to get outdoors.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$41,089 median income · $887 median rent · #14 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Cherokee County, South Carolina
Taking home the name of the fourth cheapest city in South Carolina is Gaffney. Located an hour southwest of Charlotte, the city has an overall cost of living index of 86. The cost of living is 6.5% lower than the South Carolina average.
Locally known as home to The Peachoid, Gaffney has plenty of affordable things for the whole family to do.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$37,115 median income · $671 median rent · #1 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Marlboro County, South Carolina
No, not everything is free in the 843, but it is super affordable-like, the fifth cheapest place to live in South Carolina affordable. But, that’s not all that makes this city of 7,751 residents from Marlboro County so great. Bennettsville shines because the median income here is $37,115 and the median home price is only $81,007.
And, folks, it doesn’t hurt that this South Carolina gem is also located on the Great Peed Dee River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$44,522 median income · $899 median rent · #9 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Laurens County, South Carolina
Next on our list is another western South Carolina city between Greenville and Columbia — Clinton. Clinton has a manageable 86 overall cost of living index that is 6.0 points lower than the state average.
Clinton is very close to the Francis Marion & Sumter National Forests for a weekend activity that won’t break the bank.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$30,662 median income · $651 median rent · #6 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Marion County, South Carolina
If you’re looking to save a buck or two, South Carolina’s seventh cheapest place to live, Marion, will help you do just that.
The city “Where History and Hospitality Greets You” should maybe change its motto to “Somewhere in the Middle” because it is currently the 45th best place to buy a home based on income as well as the 55th most affordable place to rent. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel, you only need to make $30,662/year to keep up with Marion’s cost of living.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$56,457 median income · $965 median rent · #16 home prices in South Carolina
Walterboro, located in the South Carolina Lowcountry, is an excellent option for those looking for an affordable place to live. With a median home value of $210,403 and a median rent of $965, Walterboro offers a cost of living well below the national average.
In addition to being affordable, Walterboro boasts a low unemployment rate of just 6.09%. Walterboro offers convenient access to the annual Rice Festival, Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary, South Carolina Artisans Center, and a variety of other local attractions.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$33,600 median income · $702 median rent · #3 home prices in South Carolina
Coming in as the ninth most affordable place to call home is Lake City, a city of 5,988 about a half-hour south of Florence.
Sure, Lake City has a low cost of living, with things like healthcare, transportation, and services all costing less than your typical American city. But what really stands out in Lake City is the thriving community.
From the public art and horticulture that beautifies every corner of Lake City, to the seemingly endless string of events, to the spectacular dining and shopping downtown, there’s something for everyone in Lake City.
If you just want to give it a try to see how you like it, the median rent here is $702 — about 20% cheaper than the statewide average. If you like Lake City enough to make it your forever home, the median home price is $126,633.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$49,246 median income · $833 median rent · #12 home prices in South Carolina
Located in
Laurens County, South Carolina
Have you heard? Laurens is South Carolina’s tenth most affordable city and the “Gateway to the Upstate” shows no signs of slowing down.
Laurens moved up four places from last year due to its 14th best place to buy a home based on the city’s median income ranking. The amenities in Laurens are also not too shabby. Yes, if you haven’t spent the day exploring the Laurens Historic District or taken in their Riverfront Freedom Festival then you have some work to do.
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: $304,083
South Carolina statewide median: $69,324
On the map
Where your money goes furthest in South Carolina
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Palmetto State for 2026
Determining affordability for places in South Carolina boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 for South Carolina using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in South Carolina to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 64 places in South Carolina that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in South Carolina with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Chester.
We updated this article for 2026. This report reflects our eleventh time ranking the cheapest places to live in South Carolina.
The full plate
Cheapest Places To Live In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester | 5,218 | 80 | $46,138 | $128,680 | $902 |
| 2 | Greenwood | 22,536 | 84 | $41,150 | $183,963 | $839 |
| 3 | Union | 8,079 | 85 | $31,914 | $136,356 | $832 |
| 4 | Gaffney | 12,596 | 86 | $41,089 | $185,841 | $887 |
| 5 | Bennettsville | 7,751 | 86 | $37,115 | $81,007 | $671 |
| 6 | Clinton | 7,676 | 86 | $44,522 | $163,866 | $899 |
| 7 | Marion | 6,206 | 87 | $30,662 | $145,563 | $651 |
| 8 | Walterboro | 5,480 | 87 | $56,457 | $210,403 | $965 |
| 9 | Lake City | 5,988 | 88 | $33,600 | $126,633 | $702 |
| 10 | Laurens | 9,336 | 89 | $49,246 | $180,131 | $833 |
| 11 | Dillon | 6,354 | 89 | $35,891 | $100,984 | $630 |
| 12 | Newberry | 10,790 | 90 | $51,260 | $166,455 | $831 |
| 13 | York | 8,969 | 90 | $56,176 | $356,169 | $896 |
| 14 | Darlington | 6,120 | 90 | $33,952 | $153,323 | $840 |
| 15 | Spartanburg | 38,910 | 91 | $51,964 | $233,687 | $1,099 |
| 16 | Orangeburg | 13,253 | 91 | $38,635 | $162,436 | $848 |
| 17 | Anderson | 30,051 | 92 | $46,933 | $272,108 | $975 |
| 18 | Hartsville | 7,419 | 92 | $49,272 | $179,199 | $874 |
| 19 | Central | 5,320 | 92 | $60,258 | $284,221 | $876 |
| 20 | Sumter | 43,053 | 93 | $55,592 | $213,463 | $1,076 |
| 21 | Fountain Inn | 12,020 | 93 | $73,585 | $305,626 | $1,184 |
| 22 | Seneca | 8,993 | 93 | $52,022 | $304,236 | $807 |
| 23 | Georgetown | 8,565 | 93 | $56,981 | $250,504 | $780 |
| 24 | Conway | 27,263 | 94 | $56,650 | $286,177 | $866 |
| 25 | Cayce | 13,741 | 94 | $62,045 | $210,165 | $1,360 |
| 26 | West Columbia | 17,963 | 95 | $56,912 | $226,049 | $1,201 |
| 27 | Lancaster | 8,921 | 95 | $46,311 | $291,062 | $868 |
| 28 | Lyman | 6,547 | 95 | $75,653 | $303,651 | $1,081 |
| 29 | Easley | 24,841 | 96 | $66,299 | $315,980 | $947 |
| 30 | Camden | 8,267 | 96 | $63,576 | $237,603 | $956 |
| 31 | Florence | 40,408 | 97 | $56,143 | $219,285 | $992 |
| 32 | Clover | 7,234 | 97 | $85,450 | $413,528 | $841 |
| 33 | Mauldin | 27,055 | 98 | $82,331 | $297,318 | $1,490 |
| 34 | North Augusta | 25,653 | 98 | $86,092 | $265,723 | $1,169 |
| 35 | Irmo | 11,813 | 98 | $80,489 | $281,255 | $1,477 |
| 36 | Rock Hill | 75,259 | 99 | $68,771 | $326,184 | $1,341 |
| 37 | Columbia | 139,643 | 100 | $55,529 | $229,068 | $1,204 |
| 38 | Greer | 41,536 | 100 | $82,626 | $348,460 | $1,198 |
| 39 | Aiken | 32,521 | 100 | $76,746 | $272,072 | $1,180 |
| 40 | Forest Acres | 10,530 | 100 | $78,306 | $335,524 | $1,263 |
| 41 | North Charleston | 119,913 | 101 | $62,956 | $309,522 | $1,430 |
| 42 | Moncks Corner | 15,485 | 101 | $91,500 | $360,391 | $1,307 |
| 43 | Lexington | 24,585 | 102 | $87,126 | $303,204 | $1,545 |
| 44 | Travelers Rest | 8,370 | 102 | $54,583 | $353,916 | $1,033 |
| 45 | Summerville | 51,654 | 103 | $81,046 | $376,903 | $1,526 |
| 46 | Goose Creek | 48,078 | 104 | $88,178 | $318,055 | $1,690 |
| 47 | Simpsonville | 26,144 | 104 | $82,457 | $377,970 | $1,415 |
| 48 | Beaufort | 13,747 | 105 | $61,220 | $412,456 | $1,212 |
| 49 | Myrtle Beach | 38,371 | 106 | $60,394 | $320,925 | $1,261 |
| 50 | Hollywood | 5,382 | 107 | $73,693 | $519,343 | $1,625 |
| 51 | Hanahan | 21,452 | 108 | $87,984 | $404,452 | $1,412 |
| 52 | Port Royal | 15,579 | 111 | $74,870 | $355,157 | $1,726 |
| 53 | Clemson | 18,072 | 112 | $49,520 | $396,341 | $1,007 |
| 54 | North Myrtle Beach | 19,855 | 113 | $72,722 | $390,621 | $1,263 |
| 55 | Blythewood | 5,731 | 114 | $94,167 | $340,026 | $1,107 |
| 56 | Fort Mill | 30,775 | 116 | $121,823 | $527,208 | $1,503 |
| 57 | Greenville | 72,935 | 118 | $71,472 | $327,592 | $1,312 |
| 58 | Bluffton | 33,157 | 120 | $111,281 | $498,492 | $2,256 |
| 59 | Charleston | 154,338 | 121 | $92,414 | $589,607 | $1,722 |
| 60 | Hardeeville | 10,871 | 125 | $78,365 | $426,445 | $1,406 |
| 61 | James Island | 12,198 | 127 | $104,217 | $597,131 | $1,695 |
| 62 | Tega Cay | 13,615 | 131 | $142,000 | $611,048 | $1,408 |
| 63 | Hilton Head Island | 37,911 | 137 | $94,657 | $787,679 | $1,479 |
| 64 | Mount Pleasant | 93,993 | 142 | $124,755 | $875,092 | $2,159 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, cost-of-living data. 64 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
South Carolina Affordability Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in South Carolina for 2026, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in South Carolina.
The cheapest cities in South Carolina are Chester, Greenwood, Union, Gaffney, Bennettsville, Clinton, Marion, Walterboro, Lake City, and Laurens.
