3 Best Beach Towns For Retirement in South Carolina

[@tray5377]

Wow. I'm missing something here. Apparently "affordability" has definitely changed. I moved down here a year and a half ago from New York(about 100 miles north of NYC in the Hudson Valley) primarily due to some family issues. For years I've heard that living in the south is cheaper. Well, I don't see it. I retired from law enforcement and live on a pension. Housing prices are absolutely ridiculous and rents are worse. I pay $1700 a month for a tiny 750sq.ft. cottage in a complex about a mile to a mile and a half from the beach...IN Murrells Inlet/Garden City. My brother has a house in a development in Surfside. He built it before real estate went completely nuts down here and now it's supposedly "worth" more than 2x what it cost him, but I guess that's good for him. Most definitely NOT for anyone looking to buy now. He says his property taxes are still cheaper than in NY, That is ONE positive. While there is alot to do if you want to, there are extremely aggravating drawbacks. This place is ridiculously crowded, the traffic completely sucks...and that's year round and just gets worse with what is considered "peak" season, basically about 3/4 of the year. People can't drive for crap, they're inconsiderate and totally stupid in ALL facets when it comes to driving...morons. it's a daily nightmare. It's not the "locals", bcuz there doesn't seem to be too many of them around...it's the thousands of idiots from somewhere else, the northeast, the Midwest, and wherever else these clowns come from. Myrtle Beach seems to be about 90% people from somewhere else. I thought New Jersey and NYC drivers were bad. You ain't seen nothing 'til you come down here. BUT...back to "affordability". Other than property taxes being cheaper, depending upon where you migrate from I suppose, from where I currently sit...NOTHING is "cheaper" or more "affordable" .

[@FeMiNem-Poet]

Other countries are.🌹🌱🌹

[@metalmike570]

Northern Virginia is at least twice as expensive as the figures you're showing. Rents are 2 grand a month, townhouses, even older ones are 270K. Most houses are starting at around 500K for the smaller ones. I moved closer to central Virginia and in 2021 I got into a 50 year old townhouse for 188K, and now if it was on the market it'd be 230K.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@metalmike570 Nice...markets all over are still going up

[@metalmike570]

@@RetirementLifeUSA It still is the best investment. Nothing else really comes close, considering risks. I feel a little bad for people that are wanting to buy a house and can't get approved for the one they want. Can't make a crazy high income just to become a homeowner. Well they just need a starter home but even that might not be attainable. These prices need to come down though - not increase.

[@CB-bl7be]

@@metalmike570 in northern Virginia is a great place to live. Loudoun county is number one in the country for income, jobs, safety and most desirable place to live.

[@casst346]

NOT as affordable anymore...you quoted 257k, however, most are around 400k+....very very crowed down in Myrtle Beach now..Bike weeks are also brutal down there..

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

That's the median sale price for Feb. '24.....we will know March's in a week or so

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@colemant6845 lol.....I'm old enough to collect S.S. making me part of the "community" free information and insight however is very much appreciated.

[@stretchambrose8433]

Retired in Myrtle Beach in 2005. Agree with everything you said. One thing more is it’s literally built on a hill, from 11 feet to 33 feet high. Any town just north or south of Myrtle is called low country for a reason, 2 to 4 feet above sea level. Go to Surfside beach at a full moon on high tide, called a king tide. Even downtown Charleston will flood some streets. Then add a hurricane.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Very True.....even when you are not in a flood zone, I still recommend getting flood insurance

[@jefflloyd394]

Beaufort is my favorite by far

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Love Beaufort too

[@DeborahBolek]

Did Beaufort get hit by Helene?

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@DeborahBolek not too bad....some trees down and power loss

[@DeborahBolek]

@@RetirementLifeUSA Praise the Lord🙏

[@sla429]

Do lakes in South Carolina to retire. I live at Lake Wateree. What a gem.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Just dropped this video yesterday....enjoy.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nabIepSefLyroK8

[@scottfromsouthcarolina3185]

If you want the ocean, you will pay a price for it. Now especially with everybody moving to SC with money to spend. I escaped MD and wanted to be near the ocean but ended up near Florence and closer to the grandkids. I am on a golf course with an in-ground pool though. We can get to the beach in 90 minutes when we want.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Hey Scott.....glad to hear you found a suitable place and closer to the grandkids. Yes. prices are climbing everywhere in S.C.

[@SinguSoon]

This sounds sooooo nice! Thank you!

[@kennedymcgovern5413]

Not Myrtle Beach. I grew up in and live in Central North Carolina. As a kid, we all vacationed in Myrtle Beach regularly. ALL FOUR of my High School years. in the late 1980s, I was arrested by rent-a-cops for drinking beer in Myrtle Beach. They never even made sure they knew my real name (which they never did). They just wanted my friends to go collect money from our party and give it to them. It was more of a hostage situation than anything else. The kicker though, was when I got homeported in Norfolk, my second year in the Navy. My ship came to homeport and I took some of my friends to show them Myrtle Beach. I did not even get into the house we had rented. I cracked a beer in the parking lot of the house we were renting...and the rent-a-cops swarmed me. This time, I did not take it so lightly and I ram my mouth until the came up with $500 worth of bullshit "charges." I had to sit in jail until my direct deposit hit just to buy my way out and then HITCH HIKE back to my ship in Norfolk. I vowed, right then, to NEVER spend another PENNY in Horry County, SC. This was 1991. I have been back in central NC since 1992. I have KEPT this promise for 33 years running now. And yes, I did very well in life and retired at 50. In August, my wife and I are moving to the coast to spend our retirement money for the NEXT 30 years. Myrtle Beach...you LOSE...because F___ YOU, Myrtle Beach.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Wow....what a story.....I never realized they were so bad! But I do have a brother-in-law who was a renta-cop and I still can't believe that they gave him a gun, with bullets in it! 🤣

[@kennedymcgovern5413]

@@RetirementLifeUSA yeah, they were ridiculous. But it was that last time, the time when I wasn't in high school anymore and they had no problem running the shake down on me while I was serving in the United States military... That was the time then put this whole thing over the edge. I will chew my own leg off before I went drop a dime in horry county again. 33 years running.

[@metalmike570]

It's 30 plus years later and it may have changed some. It sounds like a silly grudge to me but I didn't go through it so.

[@wynnmatthews1858]

NC born and bred as well. MB PD were NOTORIOUS for that crap for decades. I'm with you, I stay out of MB due to the crowds and crime. Pawley's Island is where I usually go for the beach

[@davidsmith7587]

most fees on the beach are over 1K a month

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Is that for cindos?

[@davidg7624]

At least.........more for a decent condo.

[@hushpuppy3]

Great video. I like Garden City, but it floods with every King Tide. I personally would have replaced it with Surfside on this list..

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

I like Surfside too....it was a toss up.....we get a lot of roads flooding too during King Tides....kinda a way of life

[@tedstricker1696]

In the summer it is very busy. Vacation people. MB is not the best.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yep.....lots of vacationers during season. N.Myrtle and Surfside are better

[@robhicks2117]

How about the HOA fees?

[@mariapursel2098]

There is really no lower prices for middle class Americans! $300 to $400 is what u need to show. $250 to $360 would be better.

[@masterblogger1crucialtimes838]

Aren't these areas at high risk for severe weather?

[@larryjernigan2947]

Out of touch for ordinary retirees. This may be ok for people retiring from Canada, California or New York City, but there is no way a typical retiree can afford the housing in these places. This is for the rich only.

[@masterblogger1crucialtimes838]

Sorry, but your a little too smooth for me. I think you should be more honest. I believe some of these areas get leveled by severe hurricanes every few years.

[@cherylhughes2988]

It's been about 30 years since SC was hit hard by a hurricane. We're probably due. I wouldn't live in Myrtle Beach, though. We call it the redneck Riviera.

[@JamesAllen-xk8bc]

I recently discovered your channel, and am considering retiring to the Carolinas. I want to live in a warm weather climate, and fish I don't care about living near the ocean. Been there, done that.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@JamesAllen-xk8bc There are plenty of places to fish and we are warm 9-10 months a year, and never really too cold. Drop me a note, my email is in the description. Happy to help you out.

[@stefonthemove]

Myrtle Beach is the Walmart of beaches. Yuck!

[@Kitty39ish]

@@stefonthemove No way I absolutely disagree, in Reykjavik everyone is obsessed with Florida while I have experienced South Carolina.

[@Kitty39ish]

@@stefonthemove The beauty of South Carolina stretches from a Reykjavik girl straight to Heaven!

[@Kitty39ish]

@@stefonthemove For children not to experience skating downtown Reykjavik in Winter Paradise life like God blessed me with would be selfish not to share the Ultimate Pleasure in Freedom.

[@Kitty39ish]

@@stefonthemove I have enjoyed South Carolina, and it would be selfish of me not to share that it's the ultimate in pleasure as we know well.

[@Kitty39ish]

@@stefonthemove God gave me the Ultimate which is South Carolina, but at the same time skating downtown Reykjavik is the Ultimate for a child 😍

[@stevejacques5361]

Murrell's Inlet are the same town same zip code

[@stevejacques5361]

Sorry Garden City are same town

[@rightstuff24]

Hurricanes, high property taxes, high insurance costs (if you can get it) and hot and humid as Africa. I’m good.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Think you have SC confused with FL

[@debrahjohns586]

How much does it cost to live here

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Depends where you are talking about. I did state some current prices in the video.

[@davidg7624]

An arm and two legs

[@dwaynetempest3433]

😢No way i would live anywhere in south .. the or on the traffic aroundvthese places is horrendous.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

If you are retired, traffic is not always a big consideration

[@dwaynetempest3433]

@RetirementLifeUSA the hell you say .my time ain't gonna be in traffic ,ever.

[@Stixerss]

No where Is affordable anymore just survivable

[@MsVictory1945]

It is true! And when you find a place you bid against private equity robots. Move there and the towns are full of overprivileged rich white people who all move in a herd and get more conservative every year!

[@metalmike570]

This looks like one of the most affordable (for retirees) in the USA.

[@factualbreakdown3072]

The BEST retirement option, in my opinion, is North Myrtle Beach, where if you mine Zillow carefully, you can find a fully renovated mobile home for the price of a condo, without the mortgage payment and condo fee that equals a mortgage payment! The Fed isn't going to lower the interest rate any time soon, so NOW is the time to be SNAPPING UP waterfront community Mobile Homes, some which are literally in RETREATS! This means buying not just a house, but a lifestyle, and for less than $120K? That's a no brainer! June is the TIME TO BUY in North Myrtle, and there just may be some hidden gems on Zillow! My family from NJ lucked out with a sweet MH in North Myrtle, and you can too!

[@increaseyourvibes8703]

The problem is the lot rent in the communities. They keep going up (at least in Florida) with no cap, whereas, retirement income does not follow suit :(

[@ridinwithricky6444]

My wife and I built a house in Horry county in 2021. We paid $215,000 including the 1/2 acre lot. Also our mortgage rate was 3%. We will be leaving NJ in 2026. We were contemplating on waiting, thank goodness we didn’t! We go down for holidays right now and we see a new development going up every time! The days of $200k homes are over! 😏😎

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Hey Rick Glad to hear you were successful! There are still pockets of areas where you can get in under 200k, but you are right building continues and it doesn't look like an end is in site

[@TCB1935]

I close my eyes and hear Ray Romano!

[@tidri1973]

Disagree with affordability. Realtors have pushed prices up by crazy amounts. Houses sold in 2012 and 2022 for $350K now listed for $570K or more. Lots were $30k going for $100k or more. Lucily the market is pushing back and people aren't falling for it.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

It's not the Realtors. It's sellers who don't want to move and lose their low interest rates and high mortgage rates that are keeping buyers sided lined. Simple supply and demand with mortgages thrown in to keep it interesting

[@lawrencemccauley6062]

Realtors don’t push prices up. The law of supply and demand does.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@lawrencemccauley6062 very true, a house is only worth what the market will bear

[@metalmike570]

@@lawrencemccauley6062 Some of the dirty realtors do, they insist on throwing in a bid higher than they should.

[@tidri1973]

Disagree. Work in banking. Appraisers with realtors work to raise prices every spring. Only when buyers push back di prices fall. Myrtle Beach a rea definitely in iver supply mode and over priced. Luckily starting to see some discount on house now.

[@rhondalewis6689]

Myrtle Beach, seriously?

[@stefonthemove]

right! No thank you!

[@mgarner1155]

HAHAHA Myrtle Beach, AKA Murder beach, no thank you. Then Garden City, but no mention of Surfside Beach next door? Come-on, do better Mr. Lucas. Then Murrells inlet which is just south of Garden City Beach? Murrells Inlet will cost you a fortune if you want a place on the water, and by water I mean canal or harbor/marsh side. AFAIK, Murrells Inlet has NO beach access. To go to the beach you have to go up to Garden City Beach or down to the Huntington Beach State park. But lots of good seafood restaurants there. The truth is anyplace from Surfside Beach southward should be fine if chosen with care and same applies to North Myrtle Beach above Atlantic Beach. Do better, Mr. Lucas.

[@bolicer5746]

Hilton Head Island🌴

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Headed there tomorrow to shoot a Talk of the Town video. It should be up next week. Anything you'd like to learn about?

[@annalisa14]

Almost $500 thousand dollars is not my idea of an affordable home. $180 thousand dollars is….

[@sonhuynh8222]

Hurricanes, high property taxes …. No thanks

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Ok

[@cecilmartin5065]

What about the owner ship in condos,,,,,lots of negative

[@melanielynnrkein6231]

It is really nice cause it's definitely it's expensive

[@rjh2772]

Rentals?

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yep. Long term and short term

[@alclark4443]

Myrtle Beach has a high crime rate

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yes, like any popular town/city, certain areas do have higher issues

[@awrooterman1070]

Was nice until everyone found out about it

[@kevinwhelehan421]

So was Florida!

[@mrsvoyage]

Winter are cold

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

True, but bearable. The four seasons here are very welcome

[@scheuermann11]

relative to where

[@Kitty39ish]

South Carolina is a Beauty!

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yes She Is!

[@Kitty39ish]

@@RetirementLifeUSA Reykjavik is a Winter Paradise skating downtown ✨

[@keysersoze503]

Must be in cahoots with realtors there.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

You should read the description

[@dougdileo4727]

crazy home prices, should be 150,000 or less....

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

True. They were 10 years ago

[@tidri1973]

BS. Look at sales history these same homes were selling for half of what they are listed for now.@@RetirementLifeUSA

[@tidri1973]

that was 2021 and 2022

[@metalmike570]

@@tidri1973 Only 2 years ago?!! 😮😠

[@Michaelmontana08]

Flood insurance will kill you. Don’t kid yourself.

[@metalmike570]

I'll bet in Florida it definitely is. I'd never buy in those shore areas. And the victims of Helene never saw it coming, and that's way inland except for rivers and some have dams.

[@remhasta5920]

Nice video Keith. I am looking to retire in the next few years to the beach from the Midlands of SC and the only change for me would have been to replace Myrtle Beach with North Myrtle Beach. To me the NMB, Cherry Grove Beach, Little River, and Longs area rivals Surfside, Garden City, and Murrels Inlet area for affordability and things to do. I hope all the haters continue to move out or not move in to leave space for those of us who know how special that area is!

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

NMB and surrounding areas are a great choice. Yes, I hope all the haters migrate too!

[@yourguidetorights3909]

Typical realtor. Those are not affordable prices. Click bait I fell for. As I always say, Realtors are like used car salesmen, only selling houses.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

You are misguided. No click bait. People looking to retire to a beach area find S.C. affordable and pleasant. Maybe you should watch my other videos before passing judgment.

[@metalmike570]

@@RetirementLifeUSA 💯

[@davidg7624]

Exactly. Realtor click bait.

[@antoniachildress1498]

Why not Rentals.... 😂😅

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

That's in the video after this one 😊

[@jetski568]

Cannibal Homeless people are all over the place.

[@Kitty39ish]

South Carolina is everything you dream of!

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yes, yes, it is!

[@Kitty39ish]

@@RetirementLifeUSA But Reykjavik is Winter Paradise where I grew up, ice skating downtown was incredible!

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@Kitty39ish I'm sure it is beautiful.....I've never been there... but I believe it's a bit warmer here?

[@Kitty39ish]

@@RetirementLifeUSA Yes but we in Reykjavik don't know anything about South Carolina , except for me.

[@Kitty39ish]

@@RetirementLifeUSA Yes it is and my people in Reykjavik would love the sand beaches ⛱because with it comes the incredible beauty of South Carolina ❤

[@mikaelpetersen3331]

Hey, I appreciate the information and effort. But a tip: tone down the real estate vocabulary. It's just too much. I'm very interested in your knowledge and would love to watch a bunch more of your videos, but the whole cliche descriptive 'it's like living inside a nature documentary' inserted 100 times in ten minutes is just too much:) I hope you take it with a smile:) it's just my opinion and I think it would improve your videos to tone it down. Just my thoughts. Take care.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Thanks....will shift

[@Buchyvon1]

That is not real estate vocabulary. It’s marketing hyperbole. Real estate vocabulary is “inventory,” “leverage,” etc.

[@annalisa14]

@@Buchyvon1😂😂😂🎉

[@pedrinajohansen-maevlogs4298]

I will living there very soon ❤❤

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Awesome....what part of the state?

[@LougHeed-vh4bd]

BELOVED PEOPLE, PLEASE DONT DO IT!!!!! THE WORST PLACE TO GO IS TO THE BEACH FRONTS.

[@SinguSoon]

What's wrong with them?

[@blackrocks8413]

Nope.... no thanks

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Ok

[@avamaria8447]

why not?

[@carlgriffith4660]

LOL..all so great till the next hurricane arrives.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

True....it's been a while tho

[@peterbland7227]

I do have concerns that coastal South Carolina will suffer tidal intrusion over the next few decades.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Not really sure what that means. Maybe we will lose more beachfront. We have been replenishing beaches here for years now.

[@peterbland7227]

Sure. I’ll explain. Low-lying areas like coastal SC, Southern Florida, etc will experience increasing coastal flooding events over the next few decades as sea waters rise and hurricane events become more severe. Most likely, local municipalities will update building codes to protect structures. We used to live in Half Moon Bay, CA. New construction within a few blocks of the ocean now require an unoccupied first floor as winter storms frequently cause coastal flooding a few time each year. I would be cautious about older construction close to the shore when purchasing a home or condo.

[@valvodka]

Then don't go there

[@themrjim1953]

Bullshit , i live in myrtle and that's a lie

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Ahhhh...yeah. No.

[@themrjim1953]

@@RetirementLifeUSA bought mine in 2019. For 160,000 , now they are going for 300,000

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Nice. Good for you. It's still cheaper in MB than other coastal towns anywhere in the USA

[@Dnn411]

No thanks…

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Too Bad....it's great

[@zippygodogs]

Hurricanes are not often but they are whammies😮 influx of people & lack if infrastructure are HUGH problem

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Hurricanes are always problematic

[@davidmccartney7577]

Personal property taxes in SC will kill ya😡 Lived in Beaufort for three years 2016-19 and then moved on🥴 Loved everything but the taxes $$$$$

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yeah, taxes are everywhere, it's a way of life for us all. I think the taxes we pay for living in such a great place is a decent trade off.

[@davidmccartney7577]

@@RetirementLifeUSA In SC my motorhome, boat, truck and motorcycle was right at $5000.00 yearly for tags, Tennessee is $400.00😎🇺🇸 We do six months in Fl and six in Tennessee now. Pretty much tax friendly states🇺🇸 But we do stop and spend time in Beaufort going north and south.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

@davidmccartney7577 that seems high. SC caps registration fees at $500.00 per motor vehicle, boat, engine including RV's. Taxes will then start to diminish after the first year of registration. It is based on fair market value.

[@RandyDellinger-cw8tg]

Personal property taxes in Myrtle Beach is 1/8 of the taxes I paid in Alexandria,Va. for about the same house value.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Nice!

[@robp9746]

Myrtle Beach is a crime ridden dump.

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yet hundreds of thousands of people visit it each year and it is one of the top retirement communities in the country

[@johncantrell2056]

What world r u in

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Reality....I sell home there....and you?

[@dougspirit]

Crime?

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Yes, like everywhere. Worse in some spots than in others.

[@joanstone6740]

Mosquitoes

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

For sure....ti's the season!

[@davidmccartney7577]

And no see ems🤨

[@metalmike570]

Just screen in the porch?

[@Bull585]

Damm Yankees!!!!

[@Moneypower572]

I prefer Hallandale beach Florida beautiful city good beaches and restaurants and growing businesses and communities, and good night life.🫡

[@RetirementLifeUSA]

Nice