What is the cost of living in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 98.0, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 101.2, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,816/month.

What is the median salary in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?

The median salary in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal is $63,019 annually (mean: $67,030). Top occupations include Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

How safe is Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?

The violent crime rate in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal area is 439 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1988 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?

The state of SC has 1,215 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.3:1. Charter schools make up 7.2% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?

Infant center-based childcare in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal area averages $7,732 per year. Preschool averages $7,402/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal a good place to relocate?

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal has a Life Score of 38.8/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This places Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal in the bottom decile of scored metros; compare individual dimensions to see where the biggest gaps are.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC

Q: Where does Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal ranks #183 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

BEA RPP 98.0 ranks #274 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

98.0
Cost index (US=100): $1,816
2BR rent / mo: $63,019
Median salary: 52
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal ranks #183 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (52/100), with its strongest marks in safety and climate.

#183
of 387 US metros · Above median: 5,478,831
metro-area population: 439
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,215
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: housing (14/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal ranks #183 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 98.0 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,816/mo, median salary $63,019; LiveAbility Score 52/100, strongest in safety and climate.

Signature: BEA RPP 98.0 ranks #274 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 98.0 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,816/mo.

LiveAbility 52/100 keeps Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal in the middle third (#183 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal area is 77,390.

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

52 Top 48% higher than 52% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal MSA; housing RPP 101.2 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,816/mo.

Studio

$1,582

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,657

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,816

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,177

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,720

/month

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal wages and employment

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal posts 77,390 total employment with median salary $63,019 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$63,019

Mean Salary

$67,030

Total Employment

77,390

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Retail Salespersons	$33,880
Waiters and Waitresses	$19,830
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$29,550
Cashiers	$30,350
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$30,900

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal area from NCES.

Schools

1,215

Enrollment

784,749

Student:Teacher

14.3:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,732

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,449

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,402

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal's composite Life Score is 38.8/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

29/100

Weak

Wages

29/100

Weak

Rent

14/100

Bottom decile

Crime

97/100

Elite

Schools

27/100

Weak

Childcare

70/100

Strong

Environment

8/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal ranks #183 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 52/100 - a composite of 7 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized). Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Safety (97/100)

Safety

97
Climate

87
Low hazard

77
Schools

73
Cost of living

29
Job market

29
Housing

14

What this shows Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal's strongest dimensions are safety and climate; its weakest among scored dims is housing at 14/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%; this metro uses 7 of 8 dims with renormalized weights.

Compare Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal to

Flint Florence-Muscle Shoals Florence Fond du Lac Fort Collins-Loveland Fort Smith

Metros near Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal runs a $63,019 median salary at a 98.0 cost index, ranking #183 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.