Rent affordability
How much rent can you afford in Hilton Head Island, SC?
You need an income of about $65,320 a year to rent a typical 1-bedroom in Hilton Head Island under the 30% rule. That apartment rents for about $1,406 a month in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC metro as of August 2026, plus about $227 for utilities, internet, and renters insurance. At Hilton Head Island's median household income of $94,657, the rule leaves about $2,139 a month for rent.
- Metro 1-bedroom
- $1,406 / month
- Income needed
- $65,320 / year
- Housing share
- 21% of gross
- Apartment utilities
- $138 / month
Max rent in Hilton Head Island, SC
$2,139/mo
30% of gross income is $2,366 a month. Utilities, internet, and renters insurance take $227, which leaves $2,139 for rent.
A typical 1-bedroom in the Hilton Head Island metro rents for about $1,406, $733 under your max.
- Take-home
- $5,852/moAfter estimated federal tax, state tax, and FICA.
- Move-in cash
- $4,278First month and a one-month deposit, at your max rent.
- Landlord screen
- $2,629/moHighest rent if a landlord wants income of 36× the rent.
Monthly budget
Where take-home pay of $5,852 goes at your max rent of $2,139. Each slice is its share of take-home.
- Rent37%$2,139
- Electric, gas, water2%$138
- Internet1%$73
- Renters insurance<1%$16
- Left over60%$3,486
Housing comes to $2,366 a month, 30% of gross income and 40% of take-home. That leaves $3,486 for food, transportation, savings, and everything else.
Search Hilton Head Island, SC
Find 1-bedrooms in Hilton Head Island, SC under $2,100
Rounded down from your max rent of $2,139.
What renters in Hilton Head Island pay and earn
Of the 18,326 households in Hilton Head Island, 21% rent. The median renter household earns $60,117 a year. Median gross rent, which is rent plus utilities across every lease including ones signed years ago, is $1,479 a month. 51% of renters spend 30% or more of income on rent and utilities, and 22% spend half or more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024, for Hilton Head Island town, South Carolina. See how Hilton Head Island compares in the affordability rankings.
Rent in Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island is the main city of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC metro. Updated August 2026, -4.6% from a year earlier. The 1-bedroom median moved from $1,473 in August 2025 to $1,406 in August 2026. The 2-bedroom median moved from $1,529 in August 2025 to $1,460 in August 2026. Studio and 3-bedroom figures are estimates scaled from the published 1- and 2-bedroom medians.
This series is the metro median from Apartment List, not a single building. brightplace also stores each community's asking rent from daily listing scrapes. That history stays on the property page, because a building's price is not the city median.
How median rent changed
Each point is the overall median asking rent for one month. The vertical scale runs from the low to the high in this period, not from zero. Percentages on the right are the change since August 2025, marked by the dashed line.
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC median rent: $1,560 in August 2025 to $1,489 in August 2026, down 4.6%. Low $1,489, high $1,560. 1-bedroom $1,406 in August 2026. 2-bedroom $1,460 in August 2026.
| Month | Overall | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | $1,560 | $1,473 | $1,529 |
| September 2025 | $1,537 | $1,452 | $1,506 |
| October 2025 | $1,509 | $1,425 | $1,479 |
| November 2025 | $1,491 | $1,408 | $1,461 |
| December 2025 | $1,489 | $1,406 | $1,459 |
| January 2026 | $1,500 | $1,417 | $1,470 |
| February 2026 | $1,516 | $1,431 | $1,485 |
| March 2026 | $1,526 | $1,441 | $1,495 |
| April 2026 | $1,534 | $1,449 | $1,503 |
| May 2026 | $1,531 | $1,445 | $1,500 |
| June 2026 | $1,522 | $1,437 | $1,492 |
| July 2026 | $1,511 | $1,427 | $1,481 |
| August 2026 | $1,489 | $1,406 | $1,460 |
True monthly cost
What a typical apartment costs each month at the metro median rent: rent plus an apartment utility estimate, state-average internet, and state-average renters insurance. Studio and 3-bedroom rents are estimates. Utilities and insurance are estimates, not a quote from a building.
| Cost | Studio | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,271 | $1,406 | $1,460 | $2,074 |
| Utilities (estimate) | $125 | $138 | $202 | $287 |
| Internet (estimate) | $73 | $73 | $73 | $73 |
| Renters insurance (estimate) | $16 | $16 | $16 | $16 |
| Total | $1,485 | $1,633 | $1,751 | $2,450 |
No city utility median is on file, so the estimate uses South Carolina's statewide utility average.
Take-home pay and max rent
Single filer, standard deduction, estimated South Carolina income tax and FICA. Max rent is 30% of gross minus about $227 a month for 1-bedroom utilities, internet, and renters insurance. The landlord column is the highest rent when a landlord wants income of 36× the rent.
| Gross income | Take-home / month | Max rent | Landlord screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,710 | $773 | $1,111 |
| $60,000 | $3,946 | $1,273 | $1,666 |
| $80,000 | $5,069 | $1,773 | $2,222 |
| $100,000 | $6,138 | $2,273 | $2,777 |
Rent versus buying in the metro
A monthly ownership cost is not published for Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC. The metro's price-to-income ratio is 6.59. The ratio was up 1.2% from a year earlier. Over five years it was up 36.7%. This is a metro-level comparison from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, not a payment on a specific house.
Household income in Hilton Head Island
The calculator starts from Hilton Head Island's median household income of $94,657 (±$9,084), the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimate for Hilton Head Island town, South Carolina. The 5-year series is the one the Census publishes for every city. The 1-year figures below are newer but cover only larger areas. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates put median household income at $72,350 in South Carolina (up 3.7% from 2023).
Household utility bills in South Carolina
These are typical monthly bills for all household types in South Carolina, not an apartment quote. The rent calculator uses a smaller apartment estimate for electricity, gas, water, sewer, and trash, plus the internet row. The all-household core of those housing bills is $365 a month.
| Bill | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Electricity | $157 |
| Natural gas | $59 |
| Water | $23 |
| Sewer | $66 |
| Trash | $60 |
| Internet | $73 |
Nearby and similar cities
In brightplace's rent affordability rankings, the Hilton Head Island metro is 94 of 218: a typical 1-bedroom with utilities takes 33% of the median renter household's income in Hilton Head Island.
Questions about renting in Hilton Head Island
How much rent can I afford in Hilton Head Island, SC?
Keep rent, utilities, internet, and renters insurance within 30% of gross income. At Hilton Head Island's median household income of $94,657, that leaves about $2,139 a month for rent. A typical 1-bedroom in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC metro rents for about $1,406 as of August 2026, and the other costs add about $227, so it calls for about $65,320 a year.
What salary do you need to live in Hilton Head Island?
To keep a typical 1-bedroom within 30% of gross income in Hilton Head Island, you need about $65,320 a year: $1,406 in rent plus about $227 for utilities, internet, and renters insurance. A 2-bedroom at the metro median of $1,460 needs about $70,040. The median renter household in Hilton Head Island earns $60,117 a year, per Census estimates for 2020–2024.
How much rent can I afford on $60,000 a year in Hilton Head Island?
On $60,000 a year, the 30% rule allows $1,500 a month for housing. After about $227 for utilities, internet, and renters insurance, that leaves about $1,273 for rent, $133 less than the $1,406 typical 1-bedroom in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC metro. A single filer in South Carolina takes home about $3,946 a month after estimated federal and South Carolina income tax and FICA. This is an estimate, not tax advice.
What income do landlords require in Hilton Head Island?
Many landlords in South Carolina screen for gross annual income of about 36 times the monthly rent, the same as three times the rent each month. For a $1,406 1-bedroom, that is about $50,616 a year. Requirements vary by building, so check the listing before paying an application fee.
What is the average rent in Hilton Head Island?
In the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC metro, which includes Hilton Head Island, SC, estimated median rent as of August 2026 is $1,489 overall, $1,406 for a 1-bedroom, $1,460 for a 2-bedroom. Overall rent is -4.6% from a year earlier. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 median gross rent in Hilton Head Island, which counts utilities and leases signed years ago, is $1,479 a month.
How much are utilities for an apartment in Hilton Head Island?
A 1-bedroom apartment in Hilton Head Island, SC is estimated at about $138 a month for electricity, gas, and water, before internet. The city has no household utility median on file, so the estimate uses the state average instead. Actual bills depend on the building, what the lease includes, and how much you use.
Methodology and sources
Updated . Max rent is 30% of gross monthly income minus estimated utilities, internet, renters insurance, and any fees you enter. If you enter other bills, max rent also keeps housing plus those bills within 36% of gross income, a debt-to-income ratio lenders generally consider good. Federal tax uses 2026 brackets and the standard deduction. State tax uses 2025 single-filer brackets on gross income; married thresholds are doubled. FICA includes Social Security up to the 2026 wage base and Additional Medicare Tax. None of this is tax, legal, or housing advice. Read the financial disclosure.
- Apartment List Rent Estimates, August 2026 release
- IRS tax year 2026 brackets and standard deduction, including One Big Beautiful Bill adjustments
- Tax Foundation, 2025 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets
- Insurance Information Institute and NAIC, 2025 homeowners and renters insurance data
- Compiled from public utility cost surveys and bill-pay data, 2025
- brightplace apartment utility reference (national baselines by unit size)
- HUD cost-burden thresholds and common landlord income screens
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates (ACSBR-025)
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, State of the Nation's Housing 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 (tables B19013, B25003, B25031, B25064, B25070, and B25119)