Most of the relocation questions I get don't have anything to do with buying a house — they're about the move itself. When do I actually need a South Carolina driver's license? Should I worry about hurricane season? Which part of the Grand Strand should I even be looking at? Buying a home here has its own process (I cover that in detail in my guide to buying a home in Myrtle Beach) — this guide is about everything around that: becoming a South Carolina resident, timing the move itself, and getting oriented once you're here.
If you're renting before you buy, most of this still applies to you. Residency requirements, voter registration, and hurricane season don't care whether you own or rent.
Why People Relocate to Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach has been growing fast — the city's population jumped from 27,109 residents in the 2010 Census to 35,682 in 2020, a 31.6% increase in a single decade. A lot of that growth is relocation, not just tourism turning into residency, and it spans full retirees, remote workers, and families moving for a slower pace or a lower cost of living than where they came from.
One financial detail that surprises a lot of new residents in a good way: South Carolina doesn't tax Social Security income at all, and residents 65 and older get an additional state income tax deduction of up to $15,000 per person ($30,000 for a married couple where both spouses qualify). If retirement income is a big part of your household budget, this is worth running past an accountant before you move, not after.
Step 1: Decide Where You're Actually Going to Live
"Myrtle Beach" gets used loosely to mean the whole Grand Strand, but the area covers a lot of different ground — a quiet family neighborhood in Surfside Beach is a different daily life than a high-rise condo on the boardwalk, and both are different again from a historic home in Conway. My buying guide has a rundown of the major areas (Myrtle Beach proper, North Myrtle Beach, the Market Common, Grande Dunes, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, Little River, and Conway), and our neighborhood guides go deeper on each one. For what homes actually cost by town — the real Coastal Carolinas MLS medians, days on market and sale-to-list figures, updated monthly — read the market report before you read any cost-of-living calculator.
If you're not ready to commit to a specific area sight-unseen, renting for your first several months here is a completely reasonable strategy — it buys you a full season to see how a neighborhood actually feels before you buy into it. If you're trying to narrow down an area, my best places to live on the Grand Strand compares the towns one by one for exactly this decision.
Step 2: Understand South Carolina's Residency Deadlines
Once you're actually living here, South Carolina puts real deadlines on a few things — these aren't optional, and missing them can mean fines or an expired-license situation you don't want to deal with mid-move.
| Requirement | Deadline | Where to Handle It |
|---|---|---|
| SC driver's license | Within 45 days of becoming a resident | SCDMV — in person, vision test required |
| Vehicle registration | Within 45 days of becoming a resident | SCDMV, after paying county vehicle property tax |
| Voter registration | No waiting period — register anytime | scvotes.gov or in person at your County Voter Registration & Elections office |
Driver's license: You'll need to visit an SCDMV office in person and pass a vision exam; you generally don't have to retake the written or road test unless your out-of-state license has already been expired 9+ months. Bring your out-of-state license (it gets surrendered), proof of your Social Security number, and proof of your new SC address.
Vehicle registration: Before the SCDMV will register your car, you first pay a vehicle property tax to your county auditor and get a paid receipt — this is separate from real estate property tax. If your vehicle was previously titled or registered in another state, S.C. Code § 56-3-627(D) sets a one-time $250 Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF) on that first in-state registration, in addition to standard title and registration fees; it doesn't recur at renewal. There's an exception worth knowing if you're moving here with the military: under § 56-3-627(D)(2), that subsection "does not apply if the owner or lessee of the item is serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States," and the exclusion "also extends to items owned by the spouse or dependent of a person serving on active duty." That waives the $250 IMF specifically — not the county vehicle property tax, and not the standard title and registration fees — so bring it up with SCDMV when you register rather than assuming it gets applied automatically. You'll also need proof of insurance meeting South Carolina's minimum liability limits.
Voter registration: There's no residency waiting period to register to vote in South Carolina — you can register the day you arrive. You do need to be registered at least 30 days before a given election to vote in it, so if there's an election coming up shortly after your move, don't put this one off.
Legal residence for property tax purposes: If you buy a primary home here, applying for South Carolina's 4% owner-occupied "legal residence" property tax rate is a separate step from all of the above, with its own deadline through the county assessor. I cover this in detail — including how it's different from the 6% rate on second homes — in the property tax section of my buying guide.
Step 3: Time Your Move Around Hurricane Season
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs June 1 through November 30, with activity typically peaking mid-August through October. This doesn't mean you shouldn't move here during those months — plenty of people do — but a few practical things to plan around:
- Moving company availability and pricing can get tighter in late summer, which is already a popular general moving season nationally on top of being peak hurricane season locally.
- Homeowners and flood insurance can be harder to bind on short notice once a storm is actively being tracked toward the coast — insurers commonly pause issuing new policies in a threatened area until the storm passes. If you're closing on a home during hurricane season, talk to your insurance agent early about timing, not the week of closing.
- It's worth having a basic hurricane plan even before you're fully moved in — an evacuation route, a place to go, and copies of important documents somewhere other than a filing cabinet in a flood-prone spot. Horry County and the City of Myrtle Beach both publish local emergency preparedness information seasonally.
None of this is a reason to avoid the area — it's simply part of living on the coast, and most residents treat it about as seriously as northern residents treat winter storm prep.
Step 4: Set Up Utilities and Services
- Electricity in this area is provided by either a regional electric cooperative or a state-owned utility depending on your exact address — confirm the provider for your specific address rather than assuming, since coverage isn't uniform across the Grand Strand. Plan to apply before your move-in date rather than same-day; new (non-transferring) customers are commonly asked for proof of identity and their new address, and sometimes a security deposit if you don't have existing account history with that provider. Exact requirements vary by provider, so confirm once you know your address.
- Water and sewer for most of Horry County, including Myrtle Beach, runs through the Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority (GSWSA). GSWSA takes new-service applications by phone or in person at one of its offices (Conway, Marion, or Little River), Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. — it doesn't offer same-day activation, requiring at least 24 hours' notice, and a Friday application won't start service until the following Monday since GSWSA is closed weekends. A New Service Fee and a security deposit are both due when you apply; GSWSA doesn't publish a fixed deposit amount online, so ask for the current fee schedule when you call.
- Internet and cable availability varies block by block along the Grand Strand; get quotes for your specific address before moving day rather than assuming your last provider serves the area.
Step 5: Look Into Schools Early, Even Before You're Sure You're Buying
If you have kids, this affects where you should even be looking. Public school assignment here is based on your specific address, and it's worth checking a home's attendance zone before you get attached to it, not after.
- Horry County (covering Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Carolina Forest, and most of the northern Grand Strand) is served by Horry County Schools, one of the larger public school districts in South Carolina — total enrollment was 48,205 students for the 2023–2024 school year, per the SC Department of Education's official report card.
- Georgetown County (covering Murrells Inlet's southern edge, Pawleys Island, and Georgetown) is served by the Georgetown County School District.
Both districts' websites list current attendance zones and school ratings by address — worth checking against any specific home you're seriously considering.
Step 6: Line Up Healthcare
The Grand Strand is served by several hospital systems rather than just one — Grand Strand Health, McLeod Health, Tidelands Health, and Conway Medical Center all operate hospitals and satellite facilities across the area. If you have an ongoing relationship with specialists or a particular health system back home, it's worth checking which local systems are in-network with your insurance before you move, especially if you're relocating for retirement and have Medicare Advantage or a supplemental plan tied to a specific network.
Step 7: Think About Income, If You're Not Fully Retired
If you're not bringing a remote job with you, it's worth researching the local job market before you commit to a move date. Tourism and hospitality, healthcare, and construction are among the region's larger employment sectors. The SC Department of Employment and Workforce (dew.sc.gov) publishes current county-level labor market data, which is a better starting point than a national cost-of-living calculator if you're trying to gauge local job prospects realistically.
On cost of living, skip the estimate-site calculators — the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes an actual measure of this: Regional Price Parities (RPPs), which compare a metro area's overall price level to the national average (set at 100 by definition). BEA's metro-area RPP tables show the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro running below the national average overall, with the gap concentrated specifically in housing and utilities rather than everyday goods like groceries and gas, which tend to sit much closer to the national average here. BEA publishes the current index values directly at bea.gov if you want the exact current numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to get a South Carolina driver's license after moving here? 45 days from becoming a resident. You'll need to go in person, pass a vision test, and surrender your out-of-state license.
Do I have to register to vote right away? No — there's no waiting period, so you can register the moment you arrive, but you need to be registered at least 30 days before a specific election to vote in it.
Is hurricane season a reason not to move here? Not for most people — it's a real, predictable part of coastal living (June through November, peaking mid-August to October) that residents plan around rather than avoid. It's worth factoring into your specific moving and insurance timeline, though.
Do I need to buy a home to relocate here, or should I rent first? Neither is universally right. Renting for a season is a common, sensible way to learn the area before committing to a neighborhood, especially if you're not already familiar with the Grand Strand. If you already know where you want to be, there's no requirement to rent first.
What's the difference between this guide and your buying guide? This one covers becoming a South Carolina resident and getting oriented in the area. My buying guide covers the actual home-purchase process — financing, closing, property taxes, flood and wind insurance, and inspections.
Ready to Start Exploring the Area?
Every relocation is a little different depending on where you're coming from, whether you're retiring or still working, and what matters most to you in a neighborhood. Browse our neighborhood guides to start narrowing things down, or reach out directly — as someone who relocated to the Grand Strand herself, I'm happy to talk through what your specific move should actually look like.
Thinking about making the move to the Grand Strand?
Whether you're relocating from up north or planning your retirement on the South Carolina coast, I'd love to help you get there. Follow me on Facebook for more local tips, search Grand Strand listings right here on my site, and join one of my Facebook groups built specifically for people making this move:
