Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach cost of living
Prices in the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC metro area run at 93.6 against a national average of 100, ranking it #191 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 83.1.
What drives the number
Prices in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach run at 93.6 where the national average is 100, so about 6.4 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #191 of 387 metro areas. It is priced almost exactly like South Carolina as a whole, which is unusual for a metro area.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 83.1 against goods at 96.3 and other services at 88.0, so the overall figure of 93.6 understates how affordable the housing itself is. It is the opposite of the usual pattern, where housing is what makes a place expensive.
The number is most useful in reverse: a job here can pay less in cash and still leave a household better off, by roughly 6.4 per cent before anything else is considered.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 7,930 | $28,500 | $30,449 | $34,580 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 6,200 | $18,310 | $19,562 | $33,760 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 5,470 | $27,210 | $29,071 | $30,480 |
| Cashiers | 5,010 | $27,410 | $29,284 | $31,190 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 3,780 | $34,770 | $37,147 | $36,830 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 3,200 | $34,750 | $37,126 | $37,090 |
| Office Clerks, General | 3,150 | $35,270 | $37,682 | $43,630 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,110 | $82,680 | $88,333 | $93,600 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 93.6.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston-North Charleston | 101.0 | 119.8 | #67 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | 98.0 | 101.2 | #114 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | 97.3 | 97.6 | #122 |
| Columbia | 93.7 | 79.5 | #189 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | 93.3 | 76.8 | #202 |
| Augusta-Richmond County | 91.9 | 70.6 | #244 |
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach: common questions
Is Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach expensive?
Prices are 6.4% below the national average, a parity of 93.6 where the country is 100. It ranks #191 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against South Carolina as a whole it is 0.1 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach?
The median worker there earns $36,510, which buys what $39,006 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 83.1 against goods at 96.3. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.