The 10 SC cities where buying a home is the most affordable right now
If you want to buy a home in South Carolina, there are 10 cities you’ll want to consider if affordability is your main concern.
The median home sales price in South Carolina has risen 0.9% to $335,000 so far in 2025 compared to last year, South Carolina Realtors statistics show. But while prices have been climbing overall, there are still places in the state that are far more affordable than others.
SmartAsset, a financial technology company, recently completed an analysis to determine the most affordable places to live in the Palmetto State. Places where home ownership costs were lowest relative to the median income in each location were considered the most affordable in the study.
According to SmartAsset, Dillon is currently the most affordable city in South Carolina. Batesburg-Leesville rounded out the list as the 10th most affordable place in the state.
Here is a list of the 10 most affordable places to live in South Carolina, including data on their average closing costs, annual property tax, annual homeowner’s insurance, average annual mortgage payment and median income.
10 cheapest places to buy home in SC
| Rank | City | Avg. closing costs | Avg. annual property tax | Avg. annual homeowner’s insurance | Avg. annual mortgage payment | Median income |
| 1 | Dillon | $1,092 | $404 | $1,977 | $6,658 | $43,637 |
| 2 | Lake City | $1,291 | $579 | $1,889 | $7,870 | $45,421 |
| 3 | Clinton | $1,694 | $770 | $1,492 | $10,332 | $54,209 |
| 4 | North Augusta | $2,375 | $927 | $1,553 | $14,483 | $72,811 |
| 5 | Irmo | $3,032 | $1,550 | $1,553 | $18,486 | $92,147 |
| 6 | Bennettsville | $1,162 | $533 | $1,865 | $7,083 | $39,515 |
| 7 | Laurens | $1,916 | $634 | $1,510 | $11,682 | $55,846 |
| 8 | Hartsville | $1,831 | $557 | $1,541 | $8,160 | $40,178 |
| 9 | Union | $1,338 | $557 | $1,541 | $8,160 | $40,178 |
| 10 | Batesburg-Leesville | $1,787 | $644 | $1,576 | $10,896 | $50,797 |
| SC | $2,756 | $938 | $1,781 | $16,808 | $57,005 |
SC cheapest places methodology
To determine the most affordable places to buy a home, SmartAsset analyzed closing costs, real estate taxes, homeowners insurance and mortgage rates across the United States.
The analysis began by including all cities with a population of 5,000 or greater. SmartAsset then measured the total cost of owning a home, using the average home cost in each city over a five-year period. That five-year cost was then measured as a proportion of median household income in each city to determine affordability.
The cheapest places were those in which housing costs were smallest compared to the median income in each area.
This story was originally published May 31, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
