State rental market reference · Data updated October 18, 2026
South Carolina rental market for DSCR investors: rent, taxes and insurance by county
What a rental in South Carolina rents for, what it costs to carry, and whether it stays rented, from official data for all 46 counties. Read it before you price a deal here.
South Carolina at a glance
What does a rental rent for?
$1,329 a month
HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent where most of South Carolina's renters live, from $885 (Greenwood County) to $2,010 (Beaufort County). It is the government figure for a modest 2-bedroom unit, utilities included, not the rent for a house.
What will property taxes cost?
0.48% of value a year
Homeowners in South Carolina pay a median $1,251 a year on a median home value of $259,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024). A rental can be taxed at a different rate than an owner's home; the local tax bill is the real number.
What will insurance cost?
$1,280 a year
The median that homeowners with a mortgage in South Carolina report paying for homeowners insurance (Census ACS 2020–2024). It is not a landlord quote: a rental policy usually costs more, and flood cover is extra.
Will it stay rented?
8.3% rental vacancy
Share of South Carolina's rental homes vacant and for rent (Census ACS 2020–2024), across 595,868 renter households. Lower means rentals fill faster.
Are jobs growing?
Employment up 3.6% in a year
Employed residents in August 2026 against a year earlier; unemployment 4.3% (BLS, not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month a year apart).
Is new supply coming?
45,862 homes permitted in 2025
About 21.7 new homes per 1,000 households; 87% single-family (Census Building Permits Survey). More new homes means more competition for tenants and buyers.
How often does it flood?
22,879 flood claims since 2005
National Flood Insurance Program claims on properties in South Carolina since 2005, $614.4 million paid (FEMA). Claims show where water has reached insured buildings; they are not a flood map, so check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
What it means for a DSCR rental in South Carolina
A lender's DSCR is the monthly rent divided by the full monthly payment: principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues. Many lenders accept 1.00x; 1.20x leaves a cushion.
Take a home at South Carolina's median value of $259,000, bought with 25% down on a 7.5% 30-year loan, with the state's typical tax rate and insurance:
- Principal and interest ($194,250 loan)
- $1,358
- Property taxes
- $104
- Insurance
- $107
- Full monthly payment
- $1,568
- Rent for a 1.20x DSCR
- $1,880 a month
The government 2-bedroom figure where most of South Carolina's renters live is $1,329 a month, below the $1,880 that home needs. A house usually rents for more than a 2-bedroom unit, so price the house you are looking at with its own rent. The last column of the table below gives the same figure for each county.
Rules and costs a landlord faces in South Carolina
Each line quotes the official source it comes from and the date it was last checked. These are general rules, not legal advice; local rules can add to them.
- How long before you can file to evict for unpaid rent?
5 calendar days' notice for unpaid rent before an eviction can be filed.
If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay rent within five days from the date due or the tenant is in violation of Section 27-40-540, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement provided the landlord has given the tenant written notice of nonpayment and his intention to terminate the rental agreement if the rent is not paid within that period.
South Carolina General Assembly (S.C. Code Section 27-40-710), checked October 18, 2026
- How fast must the deposit come back?
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends.
Any deduction from the security/rental deposit must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice to the tenant together with the amount due, if any, within thirty days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later.
South Carolina General Assembly (S.C. Code Section 27-40-410), checked October 18, 2026
- Can rents be capped?
State law bars cities and counties from capping rents.
No county or municipal corporation may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution which would regulate in any way the amount of rent to be charged for privately owned, single family, or multiple unit residential, or commercial rental property.
South Carolina General Assembly (S.C. Code Section 27-39-60), checked October 18, 2026
- Is a rental taxed like the owner's home?
A rental does not get the owner's homestead benefit; non-homestead assessments are capped at 15% within a 5-year period.
An increase in fair market value ... is limited to 15% within a 5-year period. ... A person's primary residence ... is taxed on an assessment equal to 4% of the fair market value ... A person's second home or vacation home is taxed at an assessment ratio equal to 6%.
South Carolina Department of Revenue, checked October 18, 2026
Market hubs in South Carolina
DSCRInfo does not publish a monthly market hub in South Carolina yet. The figures above and the table below cover every county; the market hubs cover other states.
South Carolina by county
All 46 counties, most renter households first. "Rent for 1.20x" is the monthly rent a home at that county's median value needs on the example loan above. A dash means the source publishes no reliable figure there.
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville County | $1,507 | 0.51% | $1,170 | 7.4% | +4.3% | 4,947 | 459 | $2,150 |
| Richland County | $1,226 | 0.67% | $1,250 | 6.3% | +3.4% | 3,382 | 1,077 | $1,820 |
| Charleston County | $1,884 | 0.39% | $2,020 | 11.7% | +3.7% | 3,392 | 6,586 | $3,470 |
| Horry County | $1,504 | 0.33% | $1,500 | 19.2% | +5.4% | 6,511 | 4,699 | $2,060 |
| Spartanburg County | $1,196 | 0.55% | $1,090 | 7.1% | +4.6% | 3,986 | 107 | $1,710 |
| York County | $1,785 | 0.48% | $1,250 | 4.7% | +4.0% | 2,646 | 50 | $2,570 |
| Lexington County | $1,226 | 0.49% | $1,170 | 4.0% | +3.3% | 2,006 | 530 | $1,710 |
| Berkeley County | $1,884 | 0.45% | $1,390 | 6.3% | +3.8% | 2,299 | 470 | $2,230 |
| Anderson County | $1,102 | 0.45% | $1,150 | 7.9% | +4.3% | 1,493 | 29 | $1,680 |
| Beaufort County | $2,010 | 0.48% | $2,000 | 19.4% | +2.6% | 1,219 | 3,837 | $3,290 |
| Florence County | $1,121 | 0.42% | $1,270 | 7.3% | +3.5% | 697 | 310 | $1,320 |
| Aiken County | $1,329 | 0.41% | $1,200 | 6.4% | +2.3% | 1,959 | 26 | $1,580 |
| Dorchester County | $1,884 | 0.56% | $1,580 | 8.3% | +3.7% | 1,596 | 679 | $2,410 |
| Pickens County | $1,507 | 0.37% | $1,140 | 7.0% | +4.3% | 946 | 35 | $1,660 |
| Sumter County | $1,338 | 0.53% | $1,200 | 4.1% | +1.3% | 358 | 258 | $1,250 |
| Orangeburg County | $906 | 0.65% | $1,200 | 6.7% | +2.6% | 107 | 95 | $920 |
| Greenwood County | $885 | 0.53% | $990 | 4.3% | +0.9% | 310 | 40 | $1,330 |
| Oconee County | $894 | 0.38% | $1,230 | 7.2% | +2.9% | 753 | 14 | $1,710 |
| Laurens County | $1,119 | 0.41% | $1,060 | 7.5% | +4.3% | 869 | 18 | $1,250 |
| Darlington County | $1,093 | 0.41% | $1,230 | 6.8% | +3.5% | 205 | 65 | $1,180 |
| Lancaster County | $1,069 | 0.50% | $1,170 | 8.6% | +4.0% | 1,110 | 27 | $2,360 |
| Cherokee County | $885 | 0.43% | $990 | 4.8% | +0.9% | 286 | 5 | $1,050 |
| Kershaw County | $954 | 0.47% | $1,220 | 3.0% | +3.3% | 509 | 96 | $1,590 |
| Chesterfield County | $885 | 0.42% | $1,120 | 3.0% | +2.5% | 117 | 10 | $890 |
| Marion County | $885 | 0.47% | $1,080 | 1.5% | -4.3% | 71 | 426 | $740 |
Show the other 21 counties
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleton County | $913 | 0.55% | $1,330 | 14.3% | +2.7% | 73 | 529 | $1,240 |
| Georgetown County | $1,158 | 0.41% | $1,940 | 0.3% | +2.0% | 377 | 1,861 | $2,130 |
| Newberry County | $933 | 0.67% | $1,200 | 3.7% | +0.7% | 160 | 18 | $1,330 |
| Dillon County | $885 | 0.53% | $1,270 | 6.8% | +2.2% | 41 | 100 | $710 |
| Marlboro County | $885 | 0.60% | $940 | 7.0% | +1.3% | 6 | 23 | $660 |
| Clarendon County | $885 | 0.56% | $1,270 | 3.9% | +3.8% | 114 | 42 | $1,210 |
| Union County | $1,003 | 0.56% | $1,060 | 4.8% | +4.6% | 373 | 0 | $820 |
| Jasper County | $1,579 | 0.57% | $1,370 | 2.7% | +2.6% | 1,858 | 90 | $2,370 |
| Williamsburg County | $885 | 0.66% | $1,260 | 7.5% | +0.5% | 35 | 95 | $850 |
| Chester County | $1,103 | 0.56% | $1,170 | 3.0% | +3.9% | 310 | 6 | $1,200 |
| Barnwell County | $892 | 0.73% | $1,120 | 3.5% | +0.6% | 31 | 3 | $860 |
| Fairfield County | $1,226 | 0.51% | $1,350 | 2.9% | +3.4% | 74 | 51 | $1,160 |
| Abbeville County | $885 | 0.44% | $1,080 | 2.0% | +2.7% | 157 | 2 | $1,310 |
| Edgefield County | $1,329 | 0.43% | $1,120 | 4.9% | +2.2% | 194 | 13 | $1,470 |
| Hampton County | $885 | 0.80% | $1,030 | 7.9% | -1.1% | 17 | 16 | $900 |
| Lee County | $885 | 0.57% | $1,220 | 3.6% | +3.2% | 22 | 12 | $840 |
| Saluda County | $1,226 | 0.51% | $1,200 | 3.7% | +3.0% | 61 | 9 | $1,120 |
| Bamberg County | $889 | 0.83% | $1,120 | 7.6% | +1.9% | 24 | 26 | $810 |
| Allendale County | $885 | 0.88% | $890 | 3.7% | -0.5% | 4 | 5 | $640 |
| Calhoun County | $1,226 | 0.41% | $1,200 | 2.9% | +3.4% | 38 | 2 | $1,270 |
| McCormick County | $885 | 0.56% | $1,180 | 11.7% | +1.9% | 119 | 2 | $1,270 |
Where these numbers come from
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, in effect from October 1, 2026: the rent and utilities of a modest 2-bedroom unit, set for housing vouchers. It is not a house rent. Where HUD publishes by town (New England), the county shows the range. HUD Fair Market Rents
- Property tax, insurance, vacancy and home value
- Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Property tax is the median tax paid divided by the median home value of owner-occupied homes. Insurance is the median that owners with a mortgage report paying, not a landlord quote. Rental vacancy is homes vacant for rent divided by all rental homes. Figures from too few homes are left blank. American Community Survey
- Jobs
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: employed residents in August 2026 against the same month a year earlier, not seasonally adjusted. BLS LAUS
- Permits
- Census Building Permits Survey: new housing units authorized in 2025, all building sizes. Building Permits Survey
- Flood claims
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss in 2005 or later, and the net amount paid. Only insured buildings appear. Check a flood zone
These are screening figures for comparing places, not a quote, an appraisal or a loan offer. South Carolina total flood payments since 2005: $614.4 million.