Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in South Carolina with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in South Carolina that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in South Carolina at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Lyman.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In South Carolina For 2024
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more South Carolina reading:
- Best Counties To Live In South Carolina
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Carolina
- Best Places To Retire In South Carolina
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In South Carolina For 2024
/10
/10
Population: 5,397
Median Home Price: $467,948
Population Change: 1.5%
Home Price Change: 3.0%
More on Hollywood: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,272
Median Home Price: $247,449
Population Change: 0.8%
Home Price Change: 5.1%
More on Central: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,260
Median Home Price: $142,891
Population Change: -0.4%
Home Price Change: 0.5%
More on Chester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,515
Median Home Price: $181,873
Population Change: 0.0%
Home Price Change: 1.7%
More on Walterboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,004
Median Home Price: $137,614
Population Change: -6.0%
Home Price Change: -0.3%
More on Batesburg-Leesville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,056
Median Home Price: $146,907
Population Change: -0.7%
Home Price Change: -3.5%
More on Cheraw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,172
Median Home Price: $123,699
Population Change: 0.3%
Home Price Change: 0.8%
More on Darlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,454
Median Home Price: $82,630
Population Change: 1.6%
Home Price Change: -12.2%
More on Dillon: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,800
Median Home Price: $392,293
Population Change: 3.6%
Home Price Change: 1.5%
More on Clover: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in South Carolina for 2024?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 9. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in South Carolina. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in South Carolina with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2018-2022 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for South Carolina with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in South Carolina, only 65 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 65 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Lyman is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Palmetto State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In South Carolina for 2024
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in South Carolina. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in South Carolina are Lyman, Hollywood, Central, Chester, Walterboro, Batesburg-Leesville, Cheraw, Darlington, Dillon, and Clover.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In South Carolina
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyman | 6,099 | $289,160 | 4.4% | 1.7% |
| 2 | Hollywood | 5,397 | $467,948 | 1.5% | 3.0% |
| 3 | Central | 5,272 | $247,449 | 0.8% | 5.1% |
| 4 | Chester | 5,260 | $142,891 | -0.4% | 0.5% |
| 5 | Walterboro | 5,515 | $181,873 | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| 6 | Batesburg-Leesville | 5,004 | $137,614 | -6.0% | -0.3% |
| 7 | Cheraw | 5,056 | $146,907 | -0.7% | -3.5% |
| 8 | Darlington | 6,172 | $123,699 | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| 9 | Dillon | 6,454 | $82,630 | 1.6% | -12.2% |
| 10 | Clover | 6,800 | $392,293 | 3.6% | 1.5% |
| 11 | Lake City | 6,080 | $113,134 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 12 | Marion | 6,402 | $90,130 | -1.1% | -3.0% |
| 13 | Hardeeville | 8,048 | $408,943 | 11.3% | 15.6% |
| 14 | Camden | 7,834 | $211,324 | 2.2% | 2.6% |
| 15 | Hartsville | 7,450 | $156,598 | -1.5% | 0.7% |
| 16 | Union | 8,099 | $108,743 | -0.2% | -7.8% |
| 17 | Bennettsville | 6,975 | $84,777 | -4.5% | -14.5% |
| 18 | Travelers Rest | 7,929 | $299,948 | 3.4% | 2.3% |
| 19 | York | 8,534 | $333,788 | 1.3% | 2.6% |
| 20 | Clinton | 7,624 | $126,502 | -1.7% | -9.1% |
| 21 | Seneca | 8,834 | $275,023 | 1.1% | 2.8% |
| 22 | Laurens | 9,276 | $147,919 | 0.3% | -6.4% |
| 23 | Georgetown | 8,465 | $244,215 | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| 24 | Lancaster | 8,592 | $262,150 | 1.2% | -1.6% |
| 25 | Fountain Inn | 10,675 | $280,678 | 4.3% | 0.8% |
| 26 | Newberry | 10,682 | $163,742 | 1.8% | -10.2% |
| 27 | Forest Acres | 10,514 | $291,080 | -1.0% | 4.8% |
| 28 | Tega Cay | 12,816 | $565,388 | 3.9% | 3.4% |
| 29 | Moncks Corner | 13,456 | $354,593 | 6.1% | -0.1% |
| 30 | James Island | 11,689 | $552,752 | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| 31 | Irmo | 11,685 | $271,045 | 0.9% | 3.5% |
| 32 | Orangeburg | 13,220 | $142,887 | 3.5% | -0.1% |
| 33 | Gaffney | 12,651 | $160,274 | 0.7% | -4.6% |
| 34 | Port Royal | 14,573 | $326,136 | 14.4% | 12.1% |
| 35 | Beaufort | 13,582 | $368,692 | 5.3% | 8.0% |
| 36 | Cayce | 13,755 | $195,496 | 0.9% | 5.1% |
| 37 | North Myrtle Beach | 18,850 | $398,493 | 1.9% | 4.2% |
| 38 | Clemson | 17,557 | $363,229 | 1.9% | 3.6% |
| 39 | West Columbia | 17,459 | $211,731 | 1.1% | 4.7% |
| 40 | Fort Mill | 26,022 | $505,522 | 8.1% | 2.5% |
| 41 | Easley | 23,135 | $298,368 | 2.2% | 3.0% |
| 42 | Lexington | 23,665 | $289,130 | 2.6% | 1.2% |
| 43 | Bluffton | 29,375 | $494,049 | 6.4% | 5.0% |
| 44 | Simpsonville | 24,133 | $360,596 | 4.1% | 1.4% |
| 45 | Greenwood | 22,528 | $169,336 | 0.7% | 3.2% |
| 46 | North Augusta | 24,425 | $235,984 | 1.7% | 2.0% |
| 47 | Conway | 25,121 | $283,094 | 14.2% | -0.6% |
| 48 | Hanahan | 20,731 | $384,391 | 1.7% | 5.3% |
| 49 | Mauldin | 25,267 | $282,107 | 2.2% | 3.2% |
| 50 | Anderson | 29,345 | $247,118 | 1.9% | 9.4% |
| 51 | Aiken | 32,014 | $248,666 | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| 52 | Greer | 37,010 | $327,385 | 5.3% | 1.7% |
| 53 | Myrtle Beach | 36,064 | $301,360 | 2.7% | 0.3% |
| 54 | Spartanburg | 38,301 | $209,990 | 0.8% | 3.4% |
| 55 | Florence | 39,931 | $207,198 | 0.3% | 1.5% |
| 56 | Sumter | 43,046 | $179,925 | 0.3% | 4.0% |
| 57 | Hilton Head Island | 37,708 | $746,761 | -0.9% | 4.6% |
| 58 | Goose Creek | 45,858 | $309,585 | 3.0% | 3.3% |
| 59 | Summerville | 50,839 | $370,371 | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| 60 | Greenville | 70,838 | $295,392 | 1.6% | 3.3% |
| 61 | Rock Hill | 74,170 | $312,290 | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| 62 | Mount Pleasant | 90,945 | $777,495 | 2.3% | 7.8% |
| 63 | North Charleston | 115,755 | $292,239 | 1.1% | 5.7% |
| 64 | Columbia | 136,754 | $222,099 | -0.4% | 3.9% |
| 65 | Charleston | 149,960 | $530,719 | 1.4% | 6.3% |