What actually sets South Carolina apart
South Carolina has one of the widest gaps in the country between what a resident pays and what a non-resident pays on the identical house. Failing to file for the 4% legal residence ratio can leave you paying more than double the correct amount, and it is the first thing to check after closing.
Property taxes in South Carolina at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.51% of home value per year
- Median home value: $236,700
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $1,199 per year (about $100 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 46th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 45th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the South Carolina statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
Rate and bill agree in South Carolina
South Carolina sits 46th of the fifty by tax rate and 45th by the amount a median-value owner actually pays. That agreement is less common than it sounds: 19 of the 50 states move ten places or more between the two rankings, because home values vary far more widely than rates do. In South Carolina the 0.51% headline is a fair summary rather than a figure that needs correcting.
How South Carolina works out what you owe
A legal residence is assessed at 4% of market value, while second homes and rentals are assessed at 6%. The difference is large, and it is not applied automatically.
Reassessment happens every five years and any increase in value is capped at 15% over that cycle, so the largest single-year jumps are smoothed out.
Exemptions South Carolina homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a South Carolina bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Legal residence (4%) assessment ratio: Must be applied for with the county assessor. It also carries the Act 388 exemption from school operating millage, which is the single biggest reduction available to a South Carolina owner-occupier.
- Homestead exemption: Exempts the first tranche of market value from all property tax for owners aged 65 or older, totally disabled owners and legally blind owners.
Where you buy inside South Carolina changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in South Carolina:
- Greenville County: the upstate's largest market, with a wide spread of municipal rates inside the county
- Charleston County: high values and a large second-home segment paying the 6% ratio rather than 4%
- Horry County: Myrtle Beach, where the split between resident owners and short-term rental owners is starker than anywhere else in the state
South Carolina and its neighbours
The same $236,700 — the South Carolina median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- North Carolina at 0.7%: about $1,657 a year, roughly $458 more than the $1,199 a South Carolina owner would pay on the same value.
- Georgia at 0.81%: about $1,917 a year, roughly $718 more than the $1,199 a South Carolina owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing a South Carolina assessment
If the assessed value on your South Carolina home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county assessor, then the county Board of Assessment Appeals. The window is within 90 days of the assessment notice, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are South Carolina property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Bills are issued in the autumn and are due by 15 January. Applications are filed with the county assessor or auditor before the first penalty date for that tax year.
Does this calculator use my exact South Carolina county tax rate?
No — it applies the South Carolina statewide average of 0.51%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside South Carolina is wide enough to matter: on a $236,700 home, $1,126 a year separates South Carolina from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its South Carolina county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.