CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

32.38° N · 80.75° W · GEOID 4565680

Shell Point

Beaufort County, South Carolina · part of the Hilton Head Island, SC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

South CarolinaShell Point, SCShell PointShell Point

The short answer

Shell Point is home to 1,439 people. Median household income is $81,630 a year and median rent is $1,188 a month, 17.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $293,300, about 3.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,188
13% below the median place
Median household income
$81,630
2% above the median place
Median home value
$293,300
8% below the median place
Unemployment
2.6%
46% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Shell Point

  • Households average 1.95 people, smaller than in 95% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • The median resident is 53.2 years old, older than in 95% of places its size.
01

Moving to Shell Point

Beaufort County gains about 9.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in13,613
Moved out12,048
Net+1,565

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within South Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within South CarolinaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$146K
Leavers$81K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Beaufort County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
9.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 7.4% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Beaufort County report $145,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $81,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$47,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,188 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,722 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $293,300.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 13.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Foley, AL matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$145,633
106% above the median place
Moved from another state1
7.4%
272% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
9.9
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureShell PointAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure9.4%63% above
Moved from another state1County figure7.4%272% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure9.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$145,633106% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$81,33916% above
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.4%, 54% below the median place.

Shell Point17.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$47,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.5%
14% below the median place
Home price to income
3.6x
6% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$69,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Shell Point, $1,188 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Shell Point, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Apple Valley, OH13.9% vs 17.5%n/aCompare
Lake City, MN14.5% vs 17.5%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Shell Point.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Shell Point? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.4%
54% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,221
63% below the median place
Homeownership1
79.0%
19% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureShell PointAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,18813% below
Rent to income117.5%14% below
Property tax rate10.4%54% below
Home price to income13.6x6% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.03% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,01024% above
HUD area median income4County figure$113,0005% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,22163% below
Median home value1$293,3008% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.1%29% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure73.9%43% above
Homeownership179.0%19% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure52.9%4% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7228% below
Vacant homes1County figure20.2%186% above
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$45,130
13% above the median place
Median household income1
$81,630
2% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureShell PointAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$81,6302% above
Income per person1$45,13013% above
Unemployment1County figure2.6%46% below
Average annual pay6County figure$57,23213% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure72,25752% below
Poverty rate1County figure9.6%11% below
Mean commute1County figure24 min5% below
Works from home1County figure13.2%6% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 1.9, 22% below the median place.

Household size1
1.9
22% below the median place
Median age1
53.2
36% above the median place
High school or higher1
97.9%
6% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureShell PointAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,4396646th largest
Median age153.236% above
Bachelor's or higher127.2%15% below
High school or higher197.9%6% above
Household size11.922% below
Born abroad1County figure7.7%12% below
No health insurance1County figure8.5%33% above
Homes with broadband183.6%9% below
05

Life in Shell Point

78 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars28.0 +35%
Shops41.0 +35%
Arts, recreation and fitness7.4 +80%
Doctors' offices and clinics24.2 +20%
Child care centers1.1 −52%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k8
1.1
52% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
28.0
35% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
7.4
80% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureShell PointAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure35289% above
Public school students11County figure22,968369% above
Students per teacher11County figure11.625% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure28.035% above
Shops per 10k8County figure41.035% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure7.480% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure24.220% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.152% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure78above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 99.5, 41% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Shell Point. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk13
99.5
41% above the median place
Average temperature12
67°F
21% above the median place
January average low12
40°F
58% above the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureShell PointAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure91°F5% above
January average low12County figure40°F58% above
Average temperature12County figure67°F21% above
Annual precipitation12County figure48.7 in11% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure97.15% above
Hurricane risk13County figure99.541% above
Tornado risk13County figure82.01% above
Wildfire risk13County figure90.347% above
Heat wave risk13County figure87.92% below
08

Shell Point in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, up from 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,188/mo (2024)$1,530/mo$1,260 to $1,870/mo+4.3%
Median household income$81,630 (2024)$102,000$86,500 to $121,000+3.8%
Median home value$293,300 (2024)$427,000$310,000 to $588,000+6.5%

The median home would be worth 4.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Shell Point

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Foley, AL$1,242$66,336Compare
Eden Isle, LA$1,328$78,426Compare
Winthrop Harbor, IL$1,313$95,690Compare
Tucson Estates, AZ$1,248$66,582Compare
Tucson Estates, AZWinthrop Harbor, ILEden Isle, LAFoley, ALShell Point, SCShell PointFoleyEden IsleWinthrop HarborTucson EstatesShell PointFoleyEden IsleWinthrop HarborTucson Estates

Common questions

Is Shell Point a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Households average 1.95 people, smaller than in 95% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 101 South Carolina places. The median resident is 53.2 years old, older than in 95% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Shell Point expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $293,300.

What salary do you need to live in Shell Point?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $47,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Shell Point?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Foley, AL, Eden Isle, LA, Winthrop Harbor, IL and Tucson Estates, AZ.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Shell Point with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Shell Point itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/shell-point-south-carolina

Citytistics. “Shell Point, South Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/shell-point-south-carolina/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.