CitytisticsShortlist

North Myrtle Beach, SC vs Westlake Corner, VA

North Myrtle Beach

South Carolina

vs

Westlake Corner

Virginia

Across 34 directional measures we can compare, North Myrtle Beach leads on 10 and Westlake Corner on 24. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 7% higher in North Myrtle Beach, while median household income is higher in Westlake Corner.

Median gross rent
$1,263$1,185
North Myrtle Beach is 7% higher
Median household income
$72,722$95,000
North Myrtle Beach is 23% lower
Median home value
$416,900$499,000
North Myrtle Beach is 16% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $60,100 a year left in North Myrtle Beach and $83,500 in Westlake Corner. Money goes further in Westlake Corner, by about $23,400 a year.
  • A household earning North Myrtle Beach's median of $72,722 would need about $72,500 in Westlake Corner to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay outran rent by 1.0 points a year in North Myrtle Beach, and pay outran rent by 1.1 points a year in Westlake Corner.

How these are calculated

VirginiaSouth CarolinaWestlake Corner, VANorth Myrtle Beach, SCNorth Myrtle BeachWestlake CornerNorth Myrtle BeachWestlake Corner

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

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01North Myrtle Beach, SCComposite 48.4 / 100
46
32556518697365

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.

MeasureNorth Myrtle BeachWestlake CornerAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,263$1,185
Rent to income120.8%15.0%
Property tax rate10.3%0.5%
Home price to income15.7x5.3x
Prices vs US average293.693.6
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,504$1,080
HUD area median income4$86,000n/a
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$1,453$2,545
Median home value1$416,900$499,000
Home prices, 1-year change54.0%6.2%
Home prices, 5-year change564.5%64.2%
Homeownership182.2%81.1%
Renters paying 30%+164.0%31.3%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,943$1,281
Vacant homes163.9%25.5%
Median year built119971994
Jobs and income
Median household income1$72,722$95,000
Income per person1$51,483$61,176
Unemployment14.0%0.0%
Average annual pay6$50,029$49,012
Pay growth, 1 year64.1%4.9%
Jobs6146,16015,810
Poverty rate17.4%12.7%
Mean commute122 min23 min
Works from home117.9%15.6%
Commutes by transit10.5%0.0%
People
Population119,8552,033
Population change since 2020713.3%n/a
Median age161.960.0
Bachelor's or higher139.9%33.3%
High school or higher194.2%100.0%
Household size12.02.6
Born abroad15.3%2.1%
No health insurance18.4%6.8%
Homes with broadband193.7%95.4%
Moving
Moved here in the past year18.7%5.0%
Moved from another state16.5%0.0%
Net movers per 1,000 people837.210.6
Income of households moving in8$82,912$79,356
Income of households moving out8$55,266$71,103
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k931.613.8
Shops per 10k948.534.3
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k96.83.4
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k919.210.3
Child care centers per 10k91.31.3
Parks per 10k1070.50.0
Playgrounds per 10k107.59.8
Grocery stores per 10k105.04.9
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1079.644.3
Libraries per 10k101.04.9
Named paths and bike trails1026.44.5
Transit stops per sq mi100.00.0
Nearest National Park Service site1154.8n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles111n/a
National Register listings123732
Safety
Violent crime per 100k13301n/a
Property crime per 100k133,851n/a
Schools
Public schools14112
Public school students148526,109
Students per teacher1415.810.9
Climate
July average high1590°F87°F
January average low1535°F27°F
Average temperature1564°F56°F
Annual precipitation1551.3 in46.3 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1698.242.7
Hurricane risk1699.669.2
Tornado risk1696.717.9
Wildfire risk1689.938.1
Heat wave risk1695.025.4
Median air quality index173937
Good air days1782.5%82.7%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: North Myrtle Beach $50,520, Westlake Corner $47,400 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. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 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
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. 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

Other places people weigh against these two, and each one in full.