South Carolina is home to dozens of beautiful coastal communities where you can enjoy the beach to the fullest extent on fun vacations. But some of them are also amazing places to settle down and retire.
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Southern Living, a lifestyle magazine that writes all about the South, created a list of the 20 best beach towns to retire near the water. While Florida had the most appearances on their ranking, SC had several notable beach towns make the list.
Here are the waterfront areas in SC that Southern Living says are the best places to retire:
The beach towns in SC, even Myrtle Beach, or as it’s often called “Dirty Myrtle”, offer fun, relaxation and plenty of entertainment for anybody, and especially retirees. Whether you’re looking for a place to relocate for a few years or spend the rest of your days relaxing by the water, these 3 spots in SC are the perfect place, according to Southern Living:
No. 11 Murrells Inlet
Murrells Inlet lies south of Myrtle Beach and is a more affordable option for retirees than some other beach towns. The fishing village once housed the infamous pirate Blackbeard, known for his cruelty and plundering of merchant ships.
Now, the laid-back area is an outdoorsman’s dream. Retirees can go take long strolls at the Marsh Walk, go birdwatching in nature, like at the Huntington Beach State Park, go fishing by the ocean and even kayak on the calm marsh.
There are also dozens of seafood restaurants in Murrells Inlet, with beautiful scenery and delicious locally-sourced seafood options.
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No. 15 Folly Beach
Folly Beach is another popular retiree destination in SC that’s home to long, relaxed stretches of beach. The Folly Beach community may be small, but the laid-back surf town is extremely welcoming, beautiful and is filled with entertainment for those who want to spend all their time enjoying life to the fullest.
No. 19 Kiawah Island
Nothing says relaxation like retirement in a quaint beach town such as Kiawah Island. It’s a premier destination for golfing and beach vacations near Charleston.
“You’ll find some of the area’s best seafood and golf courses, and the opportunities for fun are endless,” A Southern Living writer wrote. “Set out on a sailboat, book a tennis lesson, breeze along biking trails, explore the boutiques, or nab tickets for concerts and festivals to make the most of retirement in this South Carolina paradise.”
Southern Living says that these are the 10 best beach towns to spend the rest of your life by the water in the South (besides Delaware):
This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline “3 SC beach towns named best places to retire by water, Southern Living says. Here’s where & why.”
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