NCSC
Find a Local Expert

Surfside Beach vs Myrtle Beach: Two-Square-Mile Family Beach or the Grand Strand's Largest City

Surfside Beach and Myrtle Beach are neighbors on the Horry County coast, and Surfside's own history describes a town that grew up as an alternative to Myrtle Beach's crowds. They share a county, a hospital system, an airport and an evacuation framework, so the decision is not about the region. It is about scale: a two-square-mile town of 4,217 residents that calls itself the Family Beach against a city of 37,214 residents that is the commercial and tourist center of the Grand Strand.

Last reviewed

Surfside Beach vs Myrtle Beach: the short answer

Surfside Beach and Myrtle Beach are neighbors on the Horry County coast, and Surfside's own history describes a town that grew up as an alternative to Myrtle Beach's crowds. They share a county, a hospital system, an airport and an evacuation framework, so the decision is not about the region. It is about scale: a two-square-mile town of 4,217 residents that calls itself the Family Beach against a city of 37,214 residents that is the commercial and tourist center of the Grand Strand.

The differences a retiree feels are the municipal tax line, the age profile of the neighbors, how the flood-insurance discount and the evacuation zones are laid out, and what is within a short drive. Surfside has a Community Rating System Class 7 discount, 36 beach access points and a long record as a place where people both visit and retire. Myrtle Beach has the airport, more services, a more varied housing market and a tax structure with several layers.

Figures below come from the two Horry County municipalities' own pages, Horry County, the state emergency division, the Department of Revenue, the state code and the hospital systems, and they reset with each tax year. Confirm any parcel with the Horry County Auditor and the town or city. State income tax is covered in the South Carolina retirement taxes guide, and the coverage mechanics are in the coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide.

Full profiles: Surfside Beach (South Carolina) and Myrtle Beach (South Carolina).

Which one fits you

Choose Surfside Beach if

  • You want a small beach town with a documented older profile: the Conway Medical Center 2025 assessment lists Surfside Beach at a median age of 55.4 against 47 for Myrtle Beach.
  • You want the lower municipal millage line: the South Carolina Association of Counties' 2025 compilation lists the Town of Surfside Beach at 0.0430 against 0.0834 for the City of Myrtle Beach.
  • You want a verifiable flood-insurance discount: the Town says it is a Community Rating System Class 7 community and policyholders receive a 15 percent discount.
  • You want a beach with strict, family-oriented rules: no motor vehicles on the beach, no bonfires or grills and dogs barred from the public beach from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between May 1 and Labor Day.

Choose Myrtle Beach if

  • You want the airport and the services close by: Myrtle Beach International Airport calls itself a gateway with more than 50 nonstop destinations.
  • You want a larger, more varied housing market, from oceanfront condominiums to new construction, and you will ask for each association's budget and reserve study.
  • You accept a higher municipal rate and neighborhood-level tax districts in return for city services and a bigger economy.
  • You are comfortable with Zone A and Zone B evacuation areas and state clearance tables that run from 11.8 to 20.8 hours for a Zone A evacuation.

Surfside Beach and Myrtle Beach side by side

DimensionSurfside BeachMyrtle Beach
Municipal millage and a worked illustrationThe South Carolina Association of Counties' 2025 compilation lists the Town of Surfside Beach at 0.0430, Horry County's countywide millage at 0.0521 and Horry County Schools at 0.1091 operating plus 0.0100 for debt service. A mill is one-thousandth of assessed value, so 0.0430 equals 43.0 mills. Illustration (our arithmetic, not a tax bill): a $400,000 owner-occupied home taxed at 4 percent has an assessed value of $16,000, and county 0.0521 plus school debt 0.0100 plus the Town's 0.0430 totals 0.1051, or about $1,681.60 before special districts and fees.The same compilation lists the City of Myrtle Beach at 0.0834 and a separate 0.0100 Myrtle Beach municipal improvement district, and neighborhood districts such as Arcadian Shores at 0.0277, Legends Drive at 0.0115 and Eagle Trace at 0.3000. Illustration (our arithmetic, not a tax bill): on the same $400,000 home, county 0.0521 plus school debt 0.0100 plus the City's 0.0834 totals 0.1455, or about $2,328.00, which is $646.40 more than the Surfside illustration, and the improvement district would add $160. The state code leaves school operating millage off a legal residence taxed at four percent, but not millage for general obligation debt.
Reassessment cycle and relief for owners 65 and olderHorry County's reassessment flyer says the last countywide reassessment took effect as of December 31, 2023, replacing December 31, 2018, that existing property has a 15 percent cap on the increase in taxable value over five years unless it was purchased in the current year, and that the county must roll back millage after reassessment. Appeals go to the County Assessor in writing within 90 days of the notice. Because the county sets both, the calendar does not separate the two places.The South Carolina Department of Revenue says the homestead exemption completely exempts the first 50,000 dollars of fair market value of a legal residence for homeowners over 65, and that for tax year 2026 only the General Assembly temporarily raised the amount to 75,000 dollars. The Horry County Auditor administers the application, in either town. What does differ is the housing: many condominiums in both places are second homes or rentals and may not receive legal-residence treatment, so confirm the classification with the Auditor.
Who your neighbors areThe Conway Medical Center 2025 community health assessment, drawing on Census Bureau estimates, lists Surfside Beach at a population of 4,217 and a median age of 55.4, with Garden City at 61.2 and North Myrtle Beach at 60.8. The Town's history says that by 1964 its reputation as a family beach had spread and it was becoming a popular place to both visit and retire. It is still a small beach town, not a master-planned retirement district.The same assessment counts 37,214 residents in Myrtle Beach with a median age of 47, a median household income of $53,679 and a poverty rate of 16.9 percent, and lists $72,111 for North Myrtle Beach. It describes a working city as well as a destination. The assessment reports adults 65 and older as the fastest-growing group in Horry County, with about 20 percent growth projected between 2023 and 2028.
Flood insurance discount and building rulesSurfside's Planning, Building and Zoning Department says the Town is a Community Rating System Class 7 community with a 15 percent discount, that the discount scale runs from 5 percent to 40 percent and that it can supply flood map determinations, elevation certificates and substantial-improvement determinations. Its floodplain page covers construction in a Special Flood Hazard Area including the Coastal A zone and a 48 percent rule document. Ask for the elevation certificate before an offer.Myrtle Beach's county flood resources list the National Flood Insurance Program, a flood-hazard map application, elevation certificates and NOAA's coastal flood exposure mapper. Ask the city for its Community Rating System status and request written wind and flood quotes for the address before an offer. The coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide explains the policy types.
Evacuation zones and clearance timesThe Town says all areas east of Highway 17 are in Zone A and all areas west are in Zone B, while Horry County's Know Your Zone page describes Zone A as east of U.S. Business 17 with coastal fluctuations in Surfside Beach and lists areas east of U.S. Business 17 from 16th Avenue North to Vista Drive in Zone B. Because the wording differs, confirm an address on the county map. The county's route from the airport south through Surfside takes SC 544 to US 501 to Conway, with possible lane reversal on US 501.Horry County's Zone A in Myrtle Beach covers areas east of Kings Road and down Ocean Boulevard to Springmaid Beach and areas east of U.S. Business 17 from Myrtle Beach State Park south. The state emergency division counts 11,917 residents in Horry Zone A, 27,348 in Zone B and 101,912 in Zone C, and its 2026 tables run from 11.8 to 20.8 hours for a Zone A evacuation and up to 29.4 hours when Zones A, B and C evacuate with full compliance and full overnight visitor occupancy.
Hospital and Medicare accessSurfside Beach has no hospital within its two square miles. Conway Medical Center at 300 Singleton Ridge Road in Conway reports 222 inpatient beds, almost 2,000 staff and a 1928 charter filing, and it is affiliated with Novant Health. McLeod Health lists McLeod Health Seacoast and McLeod Health Carolina Forest among its locations. Test the drive at different times of day and during evacuations.The same hospitals serve Myrtle Beach. Conway Medical Center became strategically affiliated with Novant Health in August 2023 while remaining an independent nonprofit, and reports about 200 physicians across 30 specialties. The county's health assessment records a primary-care ratio of about 1,870 residents per physician in 2023 against about 2,030 for the state and about 12 percent of Horry residents uninsured. See the healthcare access guide to compare networks.
Airport, parking and recurring costsSurfside residents use Myrtle Beach International Airport, which lists parking at 10 dollars a day in its economy lots, 12 dollars in the long-term lot and 32 dollars in the short-term lot. The Town provides 12 beach-area parking lots with several oceanfront and lists online payment of parking tickets.Myrtle Beach is the city the region's commercial airport serves, with the same parking rates. Horry County charges a $50 per-vehicle road maintenance fee in the 2025 county tax schedule, a recurring cost that applies countywide. The airport describes itself as a gateway with more than 50 nonstop destinations and lists dining, shopping and Wi-Fi in the terminal, which matters for seasonal residents who fly in and out.
Daily life and amenitiesSurfside lists 36 beach access points with restrooms and shower towers at many, wheelchair access at several entrances, beach walking mats and special beach wheelchairs available through the Police Department, and a fishing pier. Its calendar includes a farmers market, a kite festival, a turkey trot, a Christmas parade and music in Memorial Park, and its government page lists a Senior Citizens Advisory Committee.The City of Myrtle Beach lists Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism, the Convention Center, a Neighborhood Services Department and a resident parking decal program, reflecting a city that manages visitors and residents together. Del Webb describes Myrtle Beach as a top golf destination with eight piers, though that is developer copy. Summer traffic and peak-season crowds are the tradeoff for services that smaller towns lack.
Housing stock and new constructionSurfside's oceanfront has beach houses, hotels, condominiums and restaurants, and the Town's history says that after 1964 it added police protection, street lights, strategic zoning and public beach walkways. Buyers find single-family beach homes, older cottages and condominium communities, and compare recent sold prices for the exact block rather than town-wide averages.Myrtle Beach offers a wider range. The state emergency division counts 6,128 households in Horry Zone A, 14,201 in Zone B and 46,241 in Zone C, and 3,256 mobile homes in Zone A. Del Webb North Myrtle Beach is a retirement-oriented option nearby. Condominium and HOA fees vary by building, so ask for the association budget, reserve study and special-assessment history before buying.

Related guides

Sources and review date

Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.

  1. Floodplain Management — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  2. Visitors — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  3. Beaches — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  4. Government — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  5. History — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  6. Evacuation Zones — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  7. Services — Town of Surfside Beach (accessed 2026-09-30)
  8. Know Your Zone — Horry County Government (accessed 2026-09-30)
  9. Evacuations — Horry County Government (accessed 2026-09-30)
  10. Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Section 6-2 Hurricane Annex — Horry County Government (accessed 2026-09-30)
  11. Reassessment, Rollback Millage, Property Value (flyer) — Horry County Government (accessed 2026-09-30)
  12. Auditor — Horry County Government (accessed 2026-09-30)
  13. Property Tax Exemptions (Exempt Property) — South Carolina Department of Revenue (accessed 2026-09-30)
  14. 2025 South Carolina Property Tax Rates by County (revised February 2026) — South Carolina Association of Counties (accessed 2026-09-30)
  15. 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, Horry County — Conway Medical Center (accessed 2026-09-30)
  16. About Us — Conway Medical Center (accessed 2026-09-30)
  17. McLeod Health — McLeod Health (accessed 2026-09-30)
  18. Myrtle Beach International Airport — Myrtle Beach International Airport (accessed 2026-09-30)
  19. SC Hurricane Plan, Annex C: Evacuation Zones and Clearance Times (May 2026) — South Carolina Emergency Management Division (accessed 2026-09-30)
  20. Flooding Preparedness Information — Horry County Emergency Management (accessed 2026-09-30)
  21. 55+ Active Adult Communities in Myrtle Beach — Del Webb (PulteGroup) (accessed 2026-09-30)
  22. Code of Laws Title 12, Chapter 37 (Property Tax) — South Carolina Legislature (accessed 2026-09-30)
Find a Local Expert