The 10 Cheapest Places to Live in South Carolina in 2026

The average American pays $1,400/month in rent. In Dillon County, South Carolina, you can rent a place for $590. That's not a typo.

South Carolina gets attention for Charleston and Myrtle Beach. But the real story is inland, where home prices still sit under $140,000 and your cost of living looks nothing like the national average. Here are the 10 cheapest counties in the state, ranked by rent.

How We Found These Counties

These rankings come from Movemap's county database, built on 2020-2021 U.S. Census data and supplemented with weather, employment, and education figures across 40+ factors. The absolute numbers shift with inflation, but the relative rankings hold. A county this affordable in 2021 is still one of the cheapest places you'll find in South Carolina today.

The 10 Most Affordable Counties

1. Dillon County sits at the top of this list for good reason. Median rent is $590/month and the typical home sells for around $83,000. Unemployment is 6.1%, which is something to factor in if you're job-hunting locally. Only 11% of residents hold a bachelor's degree, so this is a blue-collar community, not a remote-worker hub.

2. Marion County is just down the road from Dillon and nearly as cheap, with rent at $594 and homes averaging $80,658. The big differentiator here: you're within an hour of the coast. Unemployment is higher at 7.8%, but if you're bringing income with you, that's not your problem. Median age is 40, so it's not a retirement community, but it's not young either.

3. Allendale County has the lowest home prices on this list at $51,739. Rent is $602/month. The catch is real: unemployment sits at 9.4% and only 9% of adults have a four-year degree. Allendale is one of the most economically distressed counties in South Carolina. If you go in with your own income stream, the affordability is hard to beat. Go in expecting a local job market, and you'll struggle.

4. Clarendon County breaks the pattern a bit. Rent is $606/month but home prices jump to $107,263, the highest in the top four. Unemployment is 6.8% and the median age is 45, making it one of the older communities on this list. It's 1-3 hours from the coast, centrally located, and has a slightly higher share of college-educated residents at 15%.

5. Hampton County is a quiet one. Rent at $607/month and homes around $76,000, with the lowest unemployment in the top five at 5%. Winters are mild, with average highs around 62F, and summers sit in the high 80s. It's 1-3 hours from the coast and doesn't have an airport nearby, so if you're traveling for work, plan accordingly.

6. Marlboro County is the only county in the top six with an airport nearby. Rent is $610/month and homes average $70,983. But unemployment is 9.8%, the highest on this list, and only 9% of residents have a bachelor's degree. The airport proximity matters if you fly for work. Otherwise, Marlboro is deep rural South Carolina with serious economic headwinds.

7. Barnwell County sits at $621/month rent and $86,126 for a typical home. Unemployment is 7.4%. The summers are legitimately hot here, average highs near 89F, and winters are mild at 60F. About 12.5% of adults hold a degree. Not the cheapest, but more economically stable than some counties above it, and the weather is a fair trade for someone leaving the northeast.

8. Williamsburg County costs $625/month to rent and homes run about $71,824. It's within an hour of the coast, which is rare at this price point. Unemployment is 8.1% and the county skews older, with a median age of 43. If coastal access matters to you and budget is the priority, this is worth a serious look.

9. Edgefield County is where the calculus changes. Rent is $637/month, but home prices are $135,552, well above the others on this list. The upside: unemployment is just 5.1% and the education level is higher, with nearly 17% holding a bachelor's degree. Edgefield is near Aiken, which has a real economy. You're paying a little more, but you're buying into a more stable market.

10. Lee County closes the list at $656/month rent and homes around $82,866. Unemployment is 7.6% and about 16% of residents have a four-year degree, which is relatively high for this tier. It's 1-3 hours from the coast and has no nearby airport. The summers average 88F. Lee County is affordable without being as economically distressed as some of the counties above it.

Explore the Data Yourself

If you want to run your own numbers, go to movemap.io/explore/us. You can filter by rent, home prices, unemployment, weather, crime, and 40+ other factors. It's the tool I'd use if I were actually moving. Punch in what matters to you and let the data narrow it down.

FAQ

Is South Carolina a good state for affordable living overall?

Yes. It has no tax on Social Security, a low overall tax burden, and a wide range of climates from coast to mountains.

What's the job market like in these counties?

Patchy. Several have unemployment over 7%. If you're bringing remote income or a pension, that's irrelevant. If you need local work, research specific industries before committing.

How close are these places to a city?

Most are 45-90 minutes from Columbia or Florence. Not walkable urban, but not isolated either.

South Carolina's affordability is real. You just have to know where to look.