Best In South Carolina Real Estate™: Grand Strand

Garden City leads South Carolina in rent burden at 37.4%, according to ALEX Intelligence's 2026 analysis. This isn’t a seasonal spike — it’s a structural shift driven by sustained migration and constrained supply. This reflects a deeper trend: coastal communities like Garden City are becoming increasingly unaffordable for local residents due to in-migration and limited housing supply. This highlights how coastal demand in South Carolina is reshaping the housing economy in ways that differ from even high-demand Texas markets. The full report is available here: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-11-14-grand-strand-rent-to-income-place-mkt. Annual Rent Against Local Pay, top 10 (ALEX Intelligence — U.S. Census Bureau 2024) #1 Garden City — 37.4% #2 Little River — 27.9% #3 Murrells Inlet — 27.1% #4 Carolina Forest — 26.9% #5 Litchfield Beach — 26.8% #6 Myrtle Beach — 25.1% #7 Socastee — 24.0% #8 North Myrtle Beach — 20.8% #9 Red Hill — 20.7% #10 Conway — 18.3% Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Slide 1: Melikamp (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=20297260; Slide 2: Nheyob (CC BY 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=153582784; Slide 3: Nheyob (CC BY 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=153582786; Slide 4: Donnacapri61 (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=72736293 Source: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-11-14-grand-strand-rent-to-income-place-mkt View and join any or all of our communities — AI, quantum, and real estate: https://alex-companies.com/reports/linkedin-groups If there's an AI, quantum, or real estate community you'd like to see us convene, tell us — this portfolio grows by request. Real Estate Strategy & Intelligence Leader. Democratized Blue Ocean Strategist & Operator. Diane Hart Alexander, MBA, MHA Chair & CEO, ALEX Companies Designated Broker, Alexander Tiffany Southwest, LLC dba ALEX.realestate, et.al. Texas License #574877-B · Broker License #565194-BB [email protected] · +1 713.591.9902