![10 Best Suburbs of Myrtle Beach SC [2026 Guide]](https://images.pexels.com/photos/13976494/pexels-photo-13976494.jpeg)
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5905 South Kings Hwy #4112, Myrtle Beach, SC 29575
MLS#: 2608859
- Myrtle Beach — Best Overall Community
- Conway — Best for Value and Small-Town Character
- Surfside Beach — Best Family Beach Town
- North Myrtle Beach — Best Quiet Coastal Living
- Murrells Inlet — Best Coastal Character and Lifestyle
- Longs — Best New Construction Value
- Little River — Best Waterway Lifestyle at an Accessible Price
- Loris — Best Rural Small-Town Value
- Pawleys Island — Best Lowcountry Lifestyle
- Georgetown — Best Hidden Value in Coastal SC
What is the best suburb to live in near Myrtle Beach, SC? Here are the top 10 Grand Strand communities with local insight on each — so you can find the right fit before you make the move If you're curious about what there is to do across these communities, read our guide to things to do in Myrtle Beach.
Myrtle Beach itself is just one community inside a 60-mile coastal market. The Grand Strand and surrounding Horry and Georgetown Counties include dozens of distinct towns and communities — each with its own character, price point, school situation, and lifestyle. Choosing the right community is as important as choosing the right home. Our team has been working this market since 2014 and knows every one of these areas from the inside.
1. Myrtle Beach — Best Overall Community
Myrtle Beach is the anchor of the Grand Strand and the most active real estate market in Horry County with nearly 5,000 active listings at any given time. What most out-of-state buyers do not realize is that Myrtle Beach extends well beyond the tourist corridor. The city covers a large geographic area that includes dozens of distinct residential communities — from master-planned subdivisions west of Highway 31 to established neighborhoods along the Intracoastal Waterway to oceanfront condos and single-family homes along the coast.
For official community information and city services, visit the City of Myrtle Beach website.
The communities within Myrtle Beach proper that draw the most buyer interest include Market Common — a walkable mixed-use development with restaurants, shops, parks, and newer construction homes — and the neighborhoods along Highway 544 and the Carolina Bays Parkway corridor that offer suburban space at accessible prices. Grande Dunes along the Intracoastal Waterway is the city’s premier luxury address with a private marina and beach club.
Home prices: Entry-level condos from the low $100,000s. Single-family homes most active in the $250,000 to $500,000 range. Oceanfront and waterway properties well into the millions.
Schools: Horry County Schools — multiple elementary, middle, and high school options across the city.
Best for: Every buyer type — the breadth of inventory, price points, and community types makes Myrtle Beach the starting point for most Grand Strand searches.
Drive to beach: Ranges from walking distance to 20 minutes depending on community.
Browse Myrtle Beach listings →
2. Conway — Best for Value and Small-Town Character
Conway is the county seat of Horry County and one of the most underrated communities on the entire Grand Strand. Sitting along the Waccamaw River with a beautiful historic downtown, the Conway Riverwalk, boutique shops, local restaurants, and genuine Southern character, it offers what buyers from bigger markets find most surprising — authenticity at an accessible price point.
The city is home to Coastal Carolina University which brings a youthful energy and a growing retail and dining scene. New construction is active throughout Conway and surrounding corridors, making it one of the most dynamic real estate markets in Horry County despite having some of the lowest prices on the Grand Strand.
Home prices: Low $200,000s to upper $400,000s — some of the most affordable single-family homes in the market.
Best for: Value-focused buyers, first-time buyers, remote workers, buyers who want small-town coastal character without beach premiums.
Drive to beach: 15 to 20 minutes.
See our full cost of living breakdown for the Myrtle Beach area.
3. Surfside Beach — Best Family Beach Town
Surfside Beach calls itself the Family Beach and earns the name. This small incorporated beach town just south of Myrtle Beach has its own government, its own identity, and a genuine community feel that larger beach markets have largely lost. The ability to walk to the ocean from a single-family home — without paying oceanfront premiums — is rare on the Grand Strand and Surfside delivers it.
The town has a quieter pace than Myrtle Beach proper, a strong sense of community among full-time residents, and a pier that anchors the beach neighborhood. It is one of the few places on the Grand Strand where you can genuinely feel like you are in a beach town rather than a tourist destination.
Home prices: Mid $300,000s to over $1 million for oceanfront. Most active range $350,000 to $600,000.
Best for: Families, buyers who want to walk to the ocean from a single-family home, buyers seeking authentic beach town character.
Drive to beach: You are already there.
Browse Surfside Beach listings →
4. North Myrtle Beach — Best Quiet Coastal Living
North Myrtle Beach is a separate incorporated city from Myrtle Beach — quieter, more residential, and with direct beach access throughout its four distinct beach communities: Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill. Each has its own subtle personality but all share the same appeal — real beach access in a community-oriented setting without the intensity of the main tourist corridor.
Cherry Grove at the northern end is particularly popular with full-time residents for its canal system, fishing access, and old-school beach cottage character. The SOS Festival — home of the Carolina shag dance — is headquartered in Ocean Drive and is beloved by long-time Grand Strand residents.
Home prices: Mid $200,000s for smaller condos to over $1 million for oceanfront. Single-family homes most active in the $300,000 to $600,000 range.
Best for: Retirees, second-home buyers, buyers who want beach proximity with a quieter residential feel.
Drive to beach: You are already there.
Browse North Myrtle Beach listings →
5. Murrells Inlet — Best Coastal Character and Lifestyle
Murrells Inlet is the seafood capital of South Carolina and one of the most beloved communities on the entire Grand Strand. The MarshWalk boardwalk, outstanding waterfront dining, salt marsh views, live music venues, and a genuine fishing village character make it a place that is genuinely hard to leave once you have experienced it as a resident.
Prince Creek — one of the largest master-planned communities in the south strand — is built around TPC of Myrtle Beach, a PGA Tour-caliber golf facility, and offers resort amenities across a range of price points. Wachesaw Plantation is a private gated community along the Waccamaw River for luxury buyers seeking privacy and prestige.
Home prices: Low $300,000s for inland homes to over $1 million for waterfront properties.
Best for: Retirees, lifestyle buyers, second-home buyers who want coastal character and outstanding dining.
Drive to beach: 10 minutes.
Murrells Inlet is one of the most popular spots for retiring to Myrtle Beach.
Browse Murrells Inlet listings →
6. Longs — Best New Construction Value
Longs is one of the most underappreciated communities on the Grand Strand. Located along Highway 9 between Conway and North Myrtle Beach, it offers some of the best new construction pricing in all of Horry County — meaningfully lower than Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach — with multiple national builders actively developing new communities and retail and dining infrastructure following the residential growth.
For buyers who want a brand new home with a builder warranty and modern finishes at an accessible price point, Longs is the most compelling market in the county right now.
Home prices: Low to mid $200,000s for entry-level new construction. Most active builder communities in the mid $200,000s to low $300,000s.
Best for: First-time buyers, value-focused buyers, buyers who want new construction without a premium price tag.
Drive to beach: 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Little River — Best Waterway Lifestyle at an Accessible Price
Little River sits at the northern tip of the Grand Strand right at the North Carolina line and offers something increasingly difficult to find — an Intracoastal Waterway lifestyle at prices below comparable waterway communities further south. The Little River Waterfront district has a charming collection of restaurants, a working shrimp boat fleet, and a genuine small-town feel.
Communities along the waterway including Arbor Creek and Cypress Village offer resort amenities — pools, fitness centers, clubhouses — at price points that make waterway-adjacent living accessible to a wider range of buyers than Myrtle Beach’s waterway corridors.
Home prices: Low $200,000s to mid $500,000s. Waterway-adjacent properties command premiums but remain more accessible than comparable Myrtle Beach waterway communities.
Best for: Retirees, boating and fishing enthusiasts, buyers seeking waterway lifestyle at accessible prices.
Drive to beach: 10 to 15 minutes.
Browse Little River listings →
8. Loris — Best Rural Small-Town Value
Loris is an inland Horry County community that offers a genuine small-town South Carolina experience at price points that are increasingly rare anywhere near the coast. Known for its annual Bog-Off Festival celebrating chicken bog — a beloved local culinary tradition — Loris has a tight-knit community feel and is drawing buyers who want maximum space and privacy while maintaining reasonable access to the Grand Strand’s coastal amenities.
Home prices: Low $100,000s to mid $300,000s — some of the lowest prices in Horry County.
Best for: Buyers seeking maximum value, rural lifestyle buyers, buyers who want land and space at coastal-adjacent prices.
Drive to beach: 30 to 40 minutes.
9. Pawleys Island — Best Lowcountry Lifestyle
Pawleys Island is one of the oldest beach resorts on the East Coast and has maintained a deliberately quiet, unhurried character for generations. The island itself is small and primarily residential — no commercial development, no tourist strip, just marsh, ocean, and the kind of natural beauty that is increasingly rare anywhere on the East Coast. The surrounding mainland communities including Litchfield Beach, Hagley Estates, and the gated Pawleys Plantation and Heritage Plantation offer a full range of price points within the broader Pawleys Island market.
The area is also home to Huntington Beach State Park, consistently rated one of the best state parks on the East Coast.
Home prices: Mid $300,000s for inland communities to over $2 million for oceanfront island properties.
Best for: Buyers seeking Lowcountry character and privacy, luxury buyers, retirees who want a quieter pace at the southern end of the strand.
Drive to beach: On island or 5 to 10 minutes from mainland communities.
Learn more about retiring to Myrtle Beach on the southern strand.
Browse Pawleys Island listings →
10. Georgetown — Best Hidden Value in Coastal SC
Georgetown is South Carolina’s third oldest city and one of the most genuinely beautiful and historically rich communities anywhere on the Coastal Carolinas. Sitting at the confluence of five rivers with a stunning waterfront, a walkable historic downtown featuring antebellum architecture, and outstanding natural surroundings, it has home prices that have not yet caught up with its inherent quality and location.
As Myrtle Beach prices continue to rise, buyers are discovering Georgetown with increasing frequency. For buyers who prioritize character, history, natural beauty, and value over proximity to the Grand Strand’s tourist amenities, it represents one of the best opportunities remaining in coastal South Carolina.
Home prices: Low $100,000s to upper $400,000s — well below comparable Lowcountry markets.
Best for: Value-focused buyers, history and character seekers, retirees who want beauty and authenticity without Myrtle Beach pricing.
Drive to Pawleys Island beach: 20 minutes north.
What is the best suburb of Myrtle Beach for families?
Myrtle Beach itself — specifically the communities west of Highway 31 including the Market Common area and neighborhoods along the Highway 544 corridor — is the top choice for families due to the breadth of school options, community amenities, and price range. Conway is the best value alternative for families who want more home for their money with a 15 to 20 minute drive to the beach.
What is the most affordable suburb near Myrtle Beach?
Conway, Longs, and Loris offer the most affordable home prices in the greater Myrtle Beach market. Conway has the most active market with the widest selection. Longs has the most new construction at accessible price points. Loris offers the lowest prices of any community in Horry County.
Which Myrtle Beach suburb is best for retirees?
Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, Little River, and North Myrtle Beach are the most popular choices for retirees on the Grand Strand. Each offers a quieter pace, strong lifestyle amenities, and a large established community of active adults. Murrells Inlet is the most popular overall for its dining scene and coastal character.
Which suburb has the best new construction near Myrtle Beach?
Longs and the Highway 9 corridor currently offer the best new construction value in the market. Myrtle Beach itself has the highest volume of active new construction with the broadest range of builder communities, price points, and community types.
Search all Grand Strand homes →
For local market data and community insights visit living-inmyrtlebeach.com.
