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Quality of Life in Horry County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
2% below national average
87%
The Real Cost of Living in Horry County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $19k | $35k |
| Comfortable | $51k | $74k |
| Luxury | $113k+ | $175k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $133k+ | $206k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Horry County, South Carolina, offers a broad quality-of-life spectrum that ranges from the high-energy tourism corridor of Myrtle Beach to quiet, rural communities like Green Sea and Nichols. The county draws a diverse mix of residents: retirees and second-home buyers gravitate toward the oceanfront and golf-course developments, while families and workers in service industries often settle in more affordable inland towns. Commuters, remote workers, and those seeking a slower pace find value in the county’s smaller municipalities and unincorporated areas, where land is cheaper and traffic is lighter.
Largest town(s) & population centers
The dominant population center is Myrtle Beach, which anchors the Grand Strand and is the county’s economic and tourism hub. Daily life here revolves around hospitality, retail, and seasonal crowds, with a dense concentration of restaurants, entertainment venues, and beach access. North Myrtle Beach, just north of the city limits, offers a slightly quieter but still resort-oriented lifestyle, popular with families and retirees. Conway, the county seat, provides a contrasting experience: a historic river town with a walkable downtown, Coastal Carolina University, and a more traditional small-city feel. Conway’s housing stock includes older homes near the river and newer subdivisions on the outskirts, making it a practical choice for those who work in Myrtle Beach but want a less tourist-driven environment. Surfside Beach and Garden City are smaller beach communities within the Myrtle Beach metro area, offering a mix of seasonal rentals and permanent residences, with a noticeably slower pace than the main strip.
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Beyond the coastal corridor, Horry County contains several distinct smaller towns. Aynor, about 15 miles inland, is a classic rural farming community with a compact downtown and a strong sense of local identity; it hosts the annual Aynor Harvest Hoe-Down and is known for its agricultural roots. Loris, near the North Carolina border, is another small town with a historic downtown and a growing bedroom-community population. Green Sea and Nichols are unincorporated rural areas in the northern part of the county, characterized by farmland, pine forests, and very low population density. These areas offer the most affordable land and a lifestyle centered on hunting, fishing, and gardening, but they lack the retail and medical amenities found closer to the coast. Little River, at the northern edge of the county, straddles the line between rural and suburban, with waterfront homes along the Intracoastal Waterway and a growing number of subdivisions.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost of living across Horry County varies significantly by location, though the overall index sits at 98, slightly below the national average. The median home value is $260,500, and median rent is $1,181, but these figures mask a wide spread. At the high end, oceanfront condos and golf-course homes in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach can exceed $500,000, while newer subdivisions in Conway and Carolina Forest (an unincorporated area between Myrtle Beach and Conway) offer family homes in the $300,000–$400,000 range. At the low end, older homes in Loris, Aynor, and rural Green Sea can be found for under $200,000, and raw land is still relatively inexpensive. The average commute across the county is 23 minutes, but this varies dramatically: residents of Conway or Carolina Forest may drive 20–30 minutes to Myrtle Beach jobs, while those in Nichols or Green Sea face commutes of 40 minutes or more to reach coastal employment centers. Amenities also thin out inland—full-service grocery stores and medical clinics are concentrated along the Highway 17 and Highway 501 corridors, while rural areas rely on smaller local markets and longer drives for specialized care.
Horry County is best suited for people who value choice and are willing to trade off between proximity to the coast and affordability. Retirees and seasonal residents who prioritize beach access and entertainment will find the coastal towns ideal. Families and workers seeking lower housing costs and a quieter setting often prefer Conway, Aynor, or Loris. Remote workers and those with flexible schedules can take advantage of the lower land prices in rural areas while still being within an hour of Myrtle Beach’s amenities. The county’s diversity of settings means that almost any budget or lifestyle preference can find a niche, provided the resident is comfortable with the region’s seasonal tourism rhythms and hurricane risks.
Crime in Horry County
Crime rates similar to the national median for U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Horry County, South Carolina, presents a mixed safety picture defined by a sharp contrast between its tourism-driven coastal corridor and its quieter inland communities. The county’s overall violent crime rate of 372.5 per 100,000 residents and property crime rate of 1,632.5 per 100,000 place it above both state and national averages, a reality driven largely by the high-volume, transient population centers of Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. However, residents in areas like Conway, Surfside Beach, and Loris often experience significantly lower crime rates, making neighborhood selection the single most important factor for personal safety in the region.
Crime in context
Horry County’s violent crime rate of 372.5 per 100K is roughly 30% higher than the South Carolina state average and about 50% higher than the national median, according to recent FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. Property crime, at 1,632.5 per 100K, similarly exceeds the national benchmark by a wide margin. These elevated figures are heavily influenced by Myrtle Beach, which as a major tourist destination sees a high concentration of thefts, assaults, and drug-related offenses tied to its nightlife and seasonal population surges. The county’s 15th Judicial Circuit, which covers Horry and Georgetown counties, has seen a shift toward more progressive prosecution policies in recent years, including expanded pretrial diversion programs and reduced bond amounts for non-violent offenders. Critics argue these policies contribute to repeat property crimes and a revolving-door effect for offenders arrested in the Myrtle Beach area, though supporters point to reduced jail overcrowding. In contrast, the inland city of Conway, home to Coastal Carolina University, maintains a lower crime profile, with most incidents concentrated near campus rather than in residential neighborhoods.
What residents experience
For the typical Horry County resident, the most common safety concern is property crime—particularly vehicle break-ins, package theft, and bicycle theft in tourist-adjacent neighborhoods. Violent crime, while statistically elevated, is not evenly distributed. The vast majority of aggravated assaults and robberies occur in specific commercial corridors of Myrtle Beach, such as Ocean Boulevard and the Kings Highway strip, rather than in suburban subdivisions. Residents in Surfside Beach and Garden City report far fewer incidents, with many neighborhoods logging zero violent crimes in a given year. The county’s rapid population growth—adding roughly 20,000 new residents annually—has strained the Horry County Police Department’s response times in outlying areas like Carolina Forest and Socastee, where new subdivisions are outpacing patrol coverage. Conversely, the city of Loris, a small agricultural hub in the county’s northwest corner, consistently posts crime rates well below the county average, offering a safer, slower-paced alternative for families.
Neighborhood-level variation
The safest areas within Horry County are generally found away from the Grand Strand’s tourist zones. Conway’s historic district and western subdivisions report violent crime rates roughly half the county average, while Surfside Beach benefits from a dedicated local police force and a year-round residential population that discourages transient crime. In contrast, Myrtle Beach’s downtown core and the Market Common area see the highest concentrations of both violent and property offenses, driven by bar crowds, short-term rentals, and a high density of retail targets. North Myrtle Beach occupies a middle ground: its beachfront areas experience seasonal property crime spikes, but its residential neighborhoods east of the Intracoastal Waterway are generally safe. For those seeking the lowest crime risk, Loris and rural areas near the North Carolina border offer the most peace of mind, though with fewer amenities and longer commutes to coastal employment centers. Prospective residents should review Horry County’s online crime mapping tool and consider visiting neighborhoods at different times of day to gauge real-world conditions before relocating.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-05-27T16:55:40.000Z
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