Surprising South Carolina City Makes Realtor.com List Of “10 U.S. Cities Everybody Wants To Move To”
I feel like no matter where you are these days the real estate market is out of control. It’s overwhelming and the price you’re going to pay if you are even able to purchase is going to be, in my opinion, absurd. Especially in the Carolinas. Because it’s not just people purchasing a first home or upgrading, but people relocating to the area as well. So when I came across a study by Realtor.com about the 10 U.S. Cities everyone is moving to, I had a sneaking suspicion I’d find at least one Carolina city on the list. And I did. Though in all honesty, I expected North Carolina to top South Carolina for cities to move to. But it didn’t. And if you would have told me the South Carolina city Realtor.com says everyone wants to move to, I wouldn’t have believed you. My first guess would be Charleston, following Greenville, and then Columbia. But it’s none of those, instead, it’s Myrtle Beach. Yes the dirty Myrtle as some call it, the vacation destination of the Carolinas, ranked 6th on this list.
You can see the full top 10 below:
- Pheonix, AZ
- Chicago, IL
- Atlanta, GA
- Dallas, TX
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Minneapolis, MN
- St. Louis, MO
- Tampa, FL
- Memphis, TN
- Charlotte, NC
According to Realtor.com, the median list price in the Charlotte market is $359,990. They say that for that price you can get a 3-bedroom home even within walking distance of the boardwalk. Ok, maybe I get it now. I can barely find a 1 bedroom condo for that price in Charlotte. So I can now see why Myrtle Beach made the list of cities to move to.
So what exactly went into making this list? Realtor.com looked at the viewing patterns of people using the platform to view home listings. From this, they were able to tell where people were shopping for homes in Q2 of 2023 as well as where they were located. From there, they were able to create together a list of the cities with the most interest from out-of-state home shoppers. The data analysis included 900 metros. Only one city per state was included on the list to “ensure geographical diversity”. You can read their full study here.
South Carolina Has 2 Of The Most Expensive Beach Towns In The Nation
10. Solana Beach, California
(Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)
Solana Beach, California is north of San Diego. It’s a super safe town, and the beach is long with great water temperatures. The average rental home costs $4,372 a week.
9. Key West, Florida
(Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via Getty Images)
Key West is not only a great beach town, it has plenty of history and attractions. Boat racing takes over the town in the summer. Plus, you can get into the Earnest Hemmingway look-a-like contest that happens each year! Average cost of a week rental? $4,547
8. Laguna Beach, California
(Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
Sure Laguna Beach on MTV was a great show. Sure, your rental home may sink into the water. But it is a cool beach town. It will cost you on average $4,564 to get a home for the week. Not bad. Hope insurance is included!
7. Lahaina, Hawaii
(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
This Maui town is the home of a big golf tournament. The weather is beautiful year round. The beaches are sheer white. If you want to rent a home it will run you $4,946 for the week.
6. Kiawah Island, South Carolina
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
What a great local town for us in the Carolina’s to visit. Great golfing, shops, restaurants and of course the beaches. The down side? It will cost you $5,576 to rent a spot there for the week.
5. Folly Beach, South Carolina
(Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
I know this beach town well. I spent many summers in Folly Beach. Love the whole vibe of the island. What I really didn’t know is that my wife is spending nearly $5,943 for us to vacation there. We split the house with friends but holy hell!
4. Malibu, California
(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Another Cali beach town is on the list. Like Laguna Beach, if you can weather the fires, the land slides and the celebrity bs then Malibu is there for you! Average home cost for a weekly rental? $6,150
3. East Hampton, New York
(Photo by Mat Szwajkos/CP/Getty Images for CP)
Wanna go to Diddy’s “White Party?” Wanna see celeb’s all over the place? Then head to East Hampton, located on Long Island. Bring your wallet though, a weekly rental is $6,178.
2. Southampton, New York
(Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Sir Ivan)
Another over the top Long Island beach town. Even more celebrities show up and hang. There’s a PGA golf event held yearly. Rent a home for the week in Southhampton for an average of $6,391!
1. Montauk, New York
(Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Hamptons Magazine)
Party it up with John Legend. Hang on the beach, or spend thousands at dinner! This town, the most expensive beach town in the nation has an average cost of $6,454 a week!
