Myrtle Beach, SC

The local housing and income backdrop is moderate for the region, with Myrtle Beach city population 39,697 and median household income $50,558 in the most recent Census QuickFacts release (Census QuickFacts^[1]). South Carolina has a 6% state sales tax, and local sales taxes can push the combined rate higher depending on the jurisdiction (South Carolina Department of Revenue^{[2?] (unconfirmed source)}). The state’s property tax system is county-based and the exact bill depends on classification and exemptions, so buyers should verify Horry County assessment details directly before purchase (Horry County Assessor^[3]).

The main hospital in Myrtle Beach is Grand Strand Medical Center, a CMS-certified acute-care hospital at 809 82nd Parkway in Myrtle Beach, with a Medicare Care Compare profile available for quality review (Black Health/CMS-linked profile^[4]). For specialized or tertiary care, many residents look to larger systems in the broader coastal region, especially as complex specialties thin out relative to a major metro. Medicare Advantage shoppers can compare plan options and provider networks on Medicare’s plan tools and Care Compare, which is important here because local network breadth varies by plan (Medicare.gov^{[5?] (unconfirmed source)}).

NOAA climate normals for the Myrtle Beach area show a humid coastal climate with substantial rainfall, hot summers, and mild winters; the nearby coastal station data are the right scale for this market rather than a city-only number (NOAA/NCEI climate normals^{[6?] (unconfirmed source)}). Public airport-facing summaries indicate Myrtle Beach International sits just a few miles from the oceanfront and is used as the practical proxy for local seasonal travel comfort (MYR airport^[7]). In practical retiree terms, the best outdoor months are usually late fall through spring, while midsummer can be hot, humid, and storm-sensitive.

Federal crime reporting is the right source here, but available city-level reporting can be incomplete after 2021, so any apples-to-apples trend line must be treated cautiously (FBI Crime Data Explorer^{[8?] (unconfirmed source)}). Myrtle Beach agency participation is not confirmed here, so a precise city violent-crime or property-crime rate from the federal system is not given; the county or agency reporting page should be used once verified. For retirement planning, that means asking specifically whether the relevant local agency reports NIBRS/UCR data before using any city rate as a relocation screen.

The Myrtle Beach city housing market is showing a median listing price of $269,900, with homes spending an average of 86 days on the market (Realtor.com^[9]) and a year-over-year median listing price decline of about 3.5% in the broader Myrtle Beach market (Realtor.com^[10]). Zillow’s city page puts the median list price at $267,483 and says homes go pending in around 64 days, with the average Myrtle Beach home value at $323,033, up 0.5% year over year (Zillow^[11]). The area also has a clear active-adult presence: 55places reports Myrtle Beach 55+ listings average about $547,730 and stay on the market around 392 days, while NewHomeSource lists several 55+ communities such as Del Webb North Myrtle Beach and Living Dunes, confirming a meaningful retiree-oriented segment (55places^[12], NewHomeSource^[13]).

Myrtle Beach International Airport is the local commercial airport, located about 3 miles southwest of downtown Myrtle Beach, and the airport’s own marketing page says it offers more than 50 nonstop destinations (MYR airport^[7]). Airline schedule pages show nonstop service to cities such as Baltimore/Washington, Hartford/Springfield, Newark, Providence, and Boston, which is helpful for East Coast family travel and hub connections (Southwest MYR^[14], American to MYR^[15], Breeze to MYR^[16]). For a retiree, that combination makes Myrtle Beach much less isolated than many resort markets of similar size.

The airport and tourism ecosystem reinforce the area’s golf identity, and the market has dozens of public and resort courses rather than a scarcity of choices (MYR airport^[7]). Ocean-cooled weather and a long warm season make year-round play feasible for much of the year, though summer heat and storm interruptions are part of the tradeoff (NOAA/NCEI^{[6?] (unconfirmed source)}). Beyond golf, the coast supports beach walking, fishing, boating, and other water recreation, so an active retiree is not limited to the fairways.

Myrtle Beach city had a Census-estimated population of 39,697 and a median age of 47.3, which is materially older than the U.S. overall and consistent with a retiree-friendly market (Census QuickFacts^[1]). The broader Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach metro had 413,391 people and a median age of 49.7, showing the region is substantially older than the nation (Census Reporter metro profile^[17]). The city’s amenity mix is more resort-commercial than quaint small-town, which is good for dining and activity but less ideal if you want a sleepy village feel.

Myrtle Beach sits in Horry County, and the county-level National Risk Index context is severe, with very high hurricane and flood exposure noted in the risk summary for Horry County (Risk Before Buy^[18]). Because FEMA’s National Risk Index is county-level, the right planning lens is Horry County rather than the city alone. Air quality is generally coastal-moderate, but wildfire-smoke episodes can still reach the Grand Strand in regional smoke events, so retirees should check AirNow during late-summer and fall smoke season (AirNow^{[19?] (unconfirmed source)}).