Cost of living in Laurel Bay, South Carolina
Laurel Bay, South Carolina has about 5,882 people. Typical rent is $1,454 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $54,345 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Ranked #97 in South Carolina on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,454 a month.
Laurel Bay is a Census community, not a separate city government in South Carolina. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $54,345 a year.
- People
- 5,882
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,454
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $54,345
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $231,800
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $2,010
- Beaufort County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Gas
- $4.035
- Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C), week of October 12, 2026
Laurel Bay, South Carolina has about 5,882 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $231,800.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Beaufort County is $2,010 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Laurel Bay. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area, prices sit at 98.0 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
South Carolina taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Laurel Bay's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical South Carolina home paid 15.47¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Laurel Bay's bill.
EIA does not publish a South Carolina gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in South Carolina shares this price.
Among 246 places we list in South Carolina with a rent figure, 28 have higher typical rent than Laurel Bay.
Nearby places
- Burton
Typical rent $1,229
Compare with Laurel Bay - Beaufort
Typical rent $1,212
Compare with Laurel Bay - Shell Point
Typical rent $1,188
Compare with Laurel Bay - Ridgeland
Typical rent $734
Compare with Laurel Bay - Port Royal
Typical rent $1,726
Compare with Laurel Bay - Yemassee
Typical rent $748
Compare with Laurel Bay - Hardeeville
Typical rent $1,406
- Hilton Head Island
Typical rent $1,479
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in South Carolina
Bigger places in South Carolina
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.