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Catalina Foothills, AZ vs Hilton Head Island, SC

Catalina Foothills

Arizona

vs

Hilton Head Island

South Carolina

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, Catalina Foothills leads on 21 and Hilton Head Island on 14. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 5% higher in Hilton Head Island, while median household income is higher in Catalina Foothills.

Median gross rent
$1,412$1,479
Catalina Foothills is 5% lower
Median household income
$115,304$94,657
Catalina Foothills is 22% higher
Median home value
$652,000$687,400
Catalina Foothills is 5% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $100,400 a year left in Catalina Foothills and $79,000 in Hilton Head Island. Money goes further in Catalina Foothills, by about $21,400 a year.
  • A household earning Catalina Foothills's median of $115,304 would need about $115,500 in Hilton Head Island to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 1.5 points a year in Catalina Foothills, and rent outran pay by 0.8 points a year in Hilton Head Island.

How these are calculated

ArizonaSouth CarolinaHilton Head Island, SCCatalina Foothills, AZCatalina FoothillsHilton Head IslandCatalina FoothillsHilton Head Island

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Catalina Foothills, AZComposite 66.2 / 100
89
548696n/a6935n/a
02Hilton Head Island, SCComposite 63.0 / 100
83
367685n/a886521

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureCatalina FoothillsHilton Head IslandAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,412$1,479
Rent to income114.7%18.7%
Property tax rate10.7%0.5%
Home price to income15.7x7.3x
Prices vs US average296.998.0
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,405$2,010
HUD area median income4$99,800$113,000
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$4,341$3,066
Median home value1$652,000$687,400
Home prices, 1-year change51.1%4.1%
Home prices, 5-year change556.2%73.9%
Homeownership176.5%78.7%
Renters paying 30%+143.4%51.2%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,588$2,591
Vacant homes111.5%39.1%
Median year built119851987
Jobs and income
Median household income1$115,304$94,657
Income per person1$82,169$73,409
Unemployment12.7%3.0%
Average annual pay6$64,242$57,232
Pay growth, 1 year63.7%4.5%
Jobs6387,06572,257
Poverty rate14.5%8.6%
Mean commute122 min19 min
Works from home121.7%20.1%
Commutes by transit11.5%n/a
People
Population152,59337,911
Population change since 20207n/a1.4%
Median age155.359.8
Bachelor's or higher171.4%56.1%
High school or higher198.5%93.6%
Household size12.12.0
Born abroad114.5%13.8%
No health insurance13.5%10.2%
Homes with broadband196.5%92.2%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.1%8.5%
Moved from another state13.4%6.0%
Net movers per 1,000 people83.09.9
Income of households moving in8$76,235$145,633
Income of households moving out8$70,739$81,339
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k917.628.0
Shops per 10k924.141.0
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k93.47.4
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k920.324.2
Child care centers per 10k91.51.1
Parks per 10k102.510.0
Playgrounds per 10k1011.84.8
Grocery stores per 10k101.33.4
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k107.236.4
Libraries per 10k100.41.1
Named paths and bike trails1010.112.3
Transit stops per sq mi100.10.1
Nearest National Park Service site1112.913.9
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1133
National Register listings122229
Schools
Public schools133635
Public school students13140,3873,542
Students per teacher1316.711.0
Climate
July average high14100°F91°F
January average low1438°F40°F
Average temperature1468°F67°F
Annual precipitation1411.4 in48.7 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1599.197.1
Hurricane risk1518.799.5
Tornado risk1537.582.0
Wildfire risk1599.790.3
Heat wave risk1599.887.9
Median air quality index1654n/a
Good air days1633.7%n/a

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Catalina Foothills $56,480, Hilton Head Island $59,160 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 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
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

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

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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