South Carolina Housing Market: Home Prices, Rent and Affordability
The typical South Carolina home is worth $306,323, up 1.0% over the past year and up 25.0% over five years, 16.9% below the national $368,697 (latest release). That ranks #32 of 50 on price. A 20%-down mortgage runs $1,576 a month and takes about $79,086 of income; the median South Carolina household earns $72,350, $6,736 short.
In Greenville, the state's largest metro, typical rent is $1,569 a month against a $1,616 principal-and-interest payment on the typical home, so renting is $47 a month cheaper before taxes, insurance and maintenance. The market is cold: 28.8% of listings cut their price (national 26.4%), homes go pending in 70 days (national 53), and for-sale inventory is up 9.1% from a year ago.
All housing figures are the latest published numbers for August; median household income is from the Census Bureau.
South Carolina Housing by the Numbers
How much does a house cost in South Carolina? The typical home is worth $306,323, the median sale price is $342,000 and the median list price $373,167. The six figures below describe the market this month, each with the national comparison.
- Typical home
- $306,323
- #32 priciest · national $369K
- Mortgage payment
- $1,576/mo
- P&I, 20% down · national $1,897
- Income needed
- $79K
- median earns $72K (+9%)
- Rent, Greenville
- $1,569/mo
- +2.4% in 1 yr · national $1,948
- Price cuts
- 28.8%
- of listings · national 26.4%
- Days to pending
- 70
- national 53 · 33,763 for sale (+9.1%)
How Have South Carolina Home Prices Changed?
The typical South Carolina home value every month since 2000, with the national typical home as a dashed line. Values rose 1.0% over the past year, are up 25.0% over five years, up 83.3% over ten, and up 164% since January 2000.
- Peak
- $307,220
- April 2026 · now -0.3%
- 10-year change
- +83.3%
- national +77.9%
- Median sale price
- $342,000
- list price $373,167
- Payment, 1-yr change
- +1.8%
- Rates and prices combined
Is It Cheaper to Rent or Buy in South Carolina?
Two direct answers from the data. Rent versus buy sets typical asking rent in Greenville, the state's largest metro, against the mortgage payment on the typical home there, since rent indexes are published by metro rather than by state. The affordability gap is the income needed to buy the typical South Carolina home minus what the median household actually earns.
Rent vs. buy · Greenville, SC
Renting is $47/month cheaper
The payment excludes property tax (0.53% of value in South Carolina), insurance and maintenance, all of which push the cost of owning higher; renting builds no equity. If values kept rising at the past five years' pace (25.0%), equity would narrow that gap over a long stay.
Affordability gap · #17 of 50
The median household is $6,736 short of the income needed
A $1,576 monthly payment takes 26.1% of the median South Carolina household's income before property tax and insurance; lenders generally cap total housing costs near 28–31%.
Full budget for your household →Is South Carolina a Buyer's or a Seller's Market?
Market temperature is our label from three market signals compared with the national market: the share of listings with a price cut, days from listing to pending (days on market), and whether homes for sale are up from a year ago. South Carolina is cold: it buyers hold the leverage: more price cuts, slower sales and rising inventory compared with the national market.
Median sale price $342,000 against a median list price of $373,167, so the typical home closes 8.4% below asking.
Where the South Carolina market is heading
Compared with a year ago, all three signals point looser, in buyers' favor: the share of listings with a price cut is up 0.4 points from a year ago to 28.8%, homes take 6 days longer to go pending than a year ago (70 now), and the number of homes for sale is up 9.1%. The typical home value rose 1.0% over the same period and is 0.3% below its April 2026 peak of $307,220. We publish no forecasts: these are the current-month readings, not a prediction of where South Carolina home prices go next.
Home Values and Rents in South Carolina Cities
A city-level home value or rent is available for 19 of the South Carolina cities we track. The most expensive is Mount Pleasant ($874,006) and the cheapest Sumter ($208,202). Click a city for its full profile.
| City | Population | Home value | 1 yr | 5 yr | Rent | Rent 1 yr | Value ÷ income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 154,338 | $591,821 | +1.3% | ||||
| Columbia | 139,643 | $230,191 | +1.2% | ||||
| North Charleston | 119,913 | $310,134 | -1.4% | ||||
| Mount Pleasant | 93,993 | $874,006 | +1.3% | ||||
| Rock Hill | 75,259 | $323,886 | -1.7% | ||||
| Greenville | 72,935 | $331,641 | +1.9% | ||||
| Summerville | 51,654 | $379,909 | -0.8% | ||||
| Goose Creek | 48,078 | $321,691 | -0.1% | ||||
| Sumter | 43,053 | $208,202 | +1.6% | ||||
| Greer | 41,536 | $350,510 | +1.5% | ||||
| Florence | 40,408 | $223,905 | +3.1% | ||||
| Spartanburg | 38,910 | $232,218 | +1.1% | ||||
| Myrtle Beach | 38,371 | $323,058 | +0.3% | ||||
| Hilton Head Island | 37,911 | $782,931 | +3.9% | ||||
| Bluffton | 33,157 | $500,379 | -0.6% | ||||
| Aiken | 32,521 | $280,880 | +3.5% | ||||
| Fort Mill | 30,775 | $523,379 | -1.6% | ||||
| Anderson | 30,051 | $273,856 | +1.3% | ||||
| Conway | 27,263 | $288,359 | +0.1% |
Home value and rent are city-level indexes; population and median household income are Census ACS. Cities without a published index are omitted.
All South Carolina cities ranked →How South Carolina Compares With Nearby States
The South states closest to South Carolina on price. Each card links to that state's housing page; the compare link puts the two states side by side on every category.
More on South Carolina
South Carolina dashboard
Overall rank and grade, every category score, taxes, utilities, safety, schools and all tracked cities.
What you'd keep in South Carolina
Take-home after housing, taxes, childcare, utilities and groceries for your household and income.
Who is moving to South Carolina
IRS migration data: where new residents come from, where leavers go, and what both groups earn.
South Carolina Housing Market FAQ
What is the average house price in South Carolina?
$306,323 is the typical South Carolina home value according to the latest release of the home value index, which tracks homes in the middle third of the market. The median sale price was $342,000 and the median list price $373,167. That makes South Carolina the #32 most expensive state; the national typical home is worth $368,697.
Are home prices dropping in South Carolina?
No. The typical South Carolina home value rose 1.0% over the past year, though it remains 0.3% below its April 2026 peak of $307,220. Over five years it is up 25.0% and over ten years up 83.3%. Nationally, values rose 1.2% over the year.
How have South Carolina home prices changed over the past 1, 5 and 10 years?
+1.0% over one year, +25.0% over five years and +83.3% over ten years for the typical South Carolina home value, per the latest release; the national figures are +1.2%, +20.3% and +77.9%. Since January 2000 the typical South Carolina home is up 164%. The monthly chart above shows the full series against the national line.
Will the South Carolina housing market crash?
We publish no forecasts, so this page cannot answer that; it can show the current readings and the historical worst case. Right now the typical South Carolina home value is 0.3% below its April 2026 peak of $307,220 after it rose 1.0% over the past year; 28.8% of listings have cut their price (national 26.4%), homes go pending in 70 days (national 53), and inventory is up 9.1% from a year ago, per Zillow Research. The largest decline in the monthly value series for South Carolina was 16.5% from September 2007 to January 2012, and values took 57 months to regain that peak.
Is it a good time to buy a house in South Carolina?
The South Carolina market is cold right now, which means it buyers hold the leverage: more price cuts, slower sales and rising inventory compared with the national market. 28.8% of listings cut their price (national 26.4%), homes go pending in 70 days (national 53), and for-sale inventory is up 9.1% from a year ago. Affordability is the constraint: buying the typical home takes $79,086 of income, $6,736 more than the median household earns. Whether the timing is right also depends on mortgage rates and how long you plan to stay.
Is South Carolina a buyer's or seller's market?
South Carolina leans toward buyers. More listings are cutting prices than the national average (28.8% vs. 26.4%), homes take 70 days to go pending (national 53), and the number of homes for sale is up 9.1% from a year ago at 34K listings. Three of those three signals point toward buyers.
What is the average rent in South Carolina?
In Greenville, South Carolina's largest metro, the typical asking rent is $1,569 a month, up 2.4% over the past year and up 21.7% over five years, per the rent index. The national typical rent is $1,948. Among South Carolina cities we track, rents range from $1,263 to $2,774 a month.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in South Carolina?
Renting is cheaper month to month in Greenville, South Carolina's largest metro. Typical rent is $1,569 and the principal-and-interest payment on the typical home with 20% down is $1,616, a difference of $47 a month in favor of renting. The payment excludes property tax (0.53% of value in South Carolina), insurance and maintenance, and renting builds no equity, so the full answer depends on how long you stay.
How much income do you need to buy a house in South Carolina?
About $79,086 a year, using the standard assumptions of 20% down at current mortgage rates and a payment of no more than 30% of income. The median South Carolina household earns $72,350, so the typical household is $6,736 short. That is the #17 smallest affordability gap of the 50 states. The monthly payment of $1,576 equals 26.1% of the median household's income.
Where are homes cheapest and most expensive in South Carolina?
Among the South Carolina cities we track with a published home value, the most expensive typical home is in Mount Pleasant ($874,006) and the cheapest in Sumter ($208,202). Also at the top: Hilton Head Island ($782,931), Charleston ($591,821), and Fort Mill ($523,379). The city table above lists every tracked South Carolina city with its value, one-year change and rent.
How does South Carolina compare with nearby states?
In the South, the closest comparisons on price are Texas ($299,367, down 1.6% in a year), Georgia ($330,817, down 0.5% in a year), and Tennessee ($334,108, up 0.7% in a year). South Carolina's typical home is $306,323, up 1.0%. On affordability, South Carolina ranks #17 of 50 versus Texas at #18, Georgia at #21, and Tennessee at #27.
How current is the South Carolina housing data?
Every figure on this page comes from Zillow Research, which publishes state, metro and city data free each month for the prior month; the latest month shown is August. Median household income is from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. We rebuild the page from the newest Zillow files as they are released.
Home values, rents, mortgage payments, income needed, inventory, price cuts, days to pending and sale and list prices are published by Zillow Research and shown as released, with attribution. Median household income and city populations are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Home prices and housing markets in all 50 states →