Retiring to Charleston, SC
Selling a home for $525,000 and keeping $150,000 in the bank leaves room to buy in 1 of 24 Charleston neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (after 6% selling costs, buying at the neighborhood median). The closest of those to a hospital is Forest Hills, Charleston (21 min to Bon Secours - St. Francis Xavier Hospital, typical drive with no traffic). Property tax in Charleston runs about 0.46% of value a year (Census ACS 2023).
Questions? Call or text Chris Harris, REALTOR®: (270) 421-8726.
Next steps, your choice
Plan a scouting week
One neighborhood a day: the drive to the hospital and homes to see.
Plan my visitShare with family
A link that reopens this page on the same town. Nothing else is in it.
Ask Chris
Chris Harris, REALTOR®, reads every note himself. He is not licensed in South Carolina, so for showings and offers he introduces you to a licensed agent there; he may receive a referral fee from that agent’s brokerage, which does not change your price. Can’t visit first? Say so in your note.
Ask Chris
Every neighborhood we have numbers for
Neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (Redfin), cheapest first by town. Minutes: typical drive, no traffic to the facility named for each kind, © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
| Neighborhood | Town | Median sale | Sales | Hospital | VA medical center | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills | Charleston | $297,192 | 64 | 21 min | 19 min | 18 min |
| Wescott Plantation | Charleston | $344,903 | 159 | 28 min | 20 min | 19 min |
| Liberty Hall | Charleston | $389,891 | 37 | 4 min | 6 min | 19 min |
| Park Circle | Charleston | $504,359 | 160 | 16 min | 10 min | 10 min |
| West Ashley | Charleston | $512,356 | 994 | 7 min | 10 min | 16 min |
| Shadowmoss | Charleston | $518,855 | 93 | 12 min | 24 min | 23 min |
| Carolina Bay | Charleston | $619,826 | 107 | 12 min | 23 min | 23 min |
| Avondale | Charleston | $629,774 | 27 | 9 min | 9 min | 21 min |
| Park West | Charleston | $675,490 | 193 | 8 min | 20 min | 19 min |
| Charleston National | Charleston | $739,793 | 40 | 13 min | 5 min | 2 min |
| East Side | Charleston | $759,787 | 40 | 4 min | 5 min | 15 min |
| Westside | Charleston | $905,746 | 49 | 9 min | 10 min | 26 min |
| Carolina Park | Charleston | $1,102,191 | 115 | 10 min | 21 min | 21 min |
| Dunes West | Charleston | $1,156,176 | 154 | 14 min | 35 min | 37 min |
| Harleston Village | Charleston | $1,174,671 | 84 | 3 min | 4 min | 19 min |
| Wagener Terrace | Charleston | $1,174,671 | 63 | 6 min | 7 min | 15 min |
| The Peninsula | Charleston | $1,194,665 | 658 | 9 min | 10 min | 26 min |
| Wild Dunes | Charleston | $1,279,641 | 122 | 18 min | 31 min | 35 min |
| Smythe Park | Charleston | $1,319,630 | 40 | 14 min | 17 min | 18 min |
| Downtown Charleston | Charleston | $1,571,560 | 94 | 5 min | 6 min | 16 min |
| Daniel Island | Charleston | $1,587,055 | 361 | 12 min | 15 min | 16 min |
| I'On | Charleston | $2,233,874 | 60 | 7 min | 15 min | 24 min |
| Daniel Island Park | Charleston | $2,671,751 | 110 | 14 min | 16 min | 17 min |
| South of Broad | Charleston | $2,759,227 | 109 | 6 min | 8 min | 22 min |
Left out because they are outside Charleston: Johns Island (a separate community), North Central (a North Charleston area).
Redfin groups these with Charleston, but we have no map location for them yet, so we can’t confirm they are in town: The Park at Rivers Edge, Foxbank Plantation, Tanner Plantation, Lynwood-Willow Walk-Oakcrest, The Ponds, Peninsula West, Belle Hall Plantation, Hamlin Plantation, Snee Farms.
Check crime data
We don’t grade neighborhoods on crime. Look up the streets you’re considering in Charleston with the agency that patrols them:
- Charleston Police Department (city police)
- FBI Crime Data Explorer (agency-level reports)
What South Carolina doesn’t tax
- Social Security benefits taxed federally are not subject to South Carolina income tax.
- Retirement income deduction of up to $10,000 per person at 65 and older ($3,000 under 65), plus an age-65 deduction of up to $15,000 ($30,000 joint when both are 65+); the two together cannot exceed $15,000 per taxpayer.
- Beginning with tax year 2022, all military retirement income included in South Carolina taxable income can be deducted.
Full details: South Carolina retirement taxes →
Source: South Carolina Department of Revenue, Individual Income Tax FAQ (read 2026-10-17). Figures change each year; confirm with the agency before you rely on them. Not tax advice.
The twenty-year test
Which of these do you need in the house you will live in for twenty years?
Email me homes that pass
The alert matches what the listing feed has: price, bedrooms, bathrooms, year built and house type. Chris checks each match for the features the listing feed can’t see.
Home prices: Redfin neighborhood medians, Jul–Sep 2026, neighborhoods with 5+ sales. Property tax: Census ACS 2023 effective rates. Selling costs estimated at 6% of the sale price.