What a Florence home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at the typical market value, $211,400; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.
- Property tax$1,876
0.888% of $211,400
- Electricity$1,846
1000 kWh a month $1,846
- Water and sewer$1,312
7,000 gallons a month on City of Florence: water $39, sewer $66, stormwater (per equivalent residential unit) $5 a month
- Trash$117
96-gallon roll cart, $10 a month
- Home insurance$1,571
Typical premium $1,571
A Florence house at the typical market value ($211,400) costs about $6,700 a year: $1,880 property tax and charges, $1,310 water and sewer, $120 trash, $1,850 electricity, $1,570 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Owner-occupants: apply for the 4% legal-residence assessment
A legal residence is assessed at 4% instead of 6%, and the owner must apply.
How: Apply for the legal-residence assessment (see the SC DOR legal residence guide).
Seniors 65+, disabled or legally blind: real estate tax relief
South Carolina law provides for real estate tax relief for senior, disabled, and legally blind citizens who meet certain requirements.
How: File an application with the Florence County Auditor's Office.
CARE program for City water customers
To receive assistance through the CARE Program, applicants must receive their water from the City of Florence.
How: Contact Lighthouse Ministries by phone to determine eligibility and to schedule an appointment.
Bank draft avoids late fees
Payment by bank draft will eliminate the possibility of late fees.
How: Return the bank draft form with a voided check.
Money dates
- Jan 15in 71 daysProperty taxes are due and payable on or before January 15 of each year
- Jan 16 – Feb 2in 72 daysA 3% penalty applies on January 16, and an additional 7% on February 2 for a total of 10%
- 15th of each monthCity water and sewer bills are due on the 15th; a $6.00 late fee applies after that
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Florence
- City of Florence monthly rates, 3/4" meter, inside city limits (residential rates effective July 1, 2026).
- Property tax
- 0.89% of value
- 2026, Florence County district 110 (inside Florence city)
- Garbage
- City of Florence Sanitation Division
- City of Florence curbside collection; fees appear on the City services bill
- Electricity
- Duke Energy Progress
- Duke Energy Progress is listed for electricity; Marlboro and Pee Dee Electric Cooperative is also listed
- Gas
- Dominion Energy
- Dominion Energy is listed as the gas provider
Other SC cities
Hardeeville home costsHilton Head Island home costsClemson home costsHanahan home costsSumter home costsGreenwood home costs
How these numbers are made
- Property tax: Florence County 2026 levy chart, district 110 (inside Florence city): city 71.6 operating + 4.0 debt mills; county-side 102.3 mills (technical college 5.6, county bonds 9.2, county general 24.0, state unfunded mandates 7.9, public safety 47.8, senior citizen center 0.8, library 7.0); school bonds 44.0 mills. Mills are divided by 1,000 and multiplied by the 4% legal-residence assessment ratio.
- School operating millage (213.7) is not charged on an owner-occupied legal residence and is left out. The one-cent local option sales tax credit is not modeled, so real bills may be lower. Fire millage applies only in districts outside the city core (e.g. 100).
- Water and sewer: City of Florence rates effective July 1, 2026, inside city limits, 3/4" meter. Stormwater is $4.59 a month per equivalent residential unit from the FY26-27 budget (the city rates page still showed $3.84). Garbage is $9.75 a month: $5.00 landfill + $2.75 roll cart + $2.00 city garbage fee, from the 2025-26 schedule on the City's water and sewer page.
- Electricity: Duke Energy Progress Schedule RES. Energy above 800 kWh is a 5-summer/7-winter month weighted average of 14.320¢ and 13.320¢. Fuel and rider charges listed in the tariff are not included. Some Florence addresses are served by Marlboro and Pee Dee Electric Cooperative. Typical use of 1,000 kWh is the figure used in a Duke Energy Progress rate notice.
- Gas is provided by Dominion Energy, but no current residential gas rate was found, so gas is not modeled. Insurance is the 2022 statewide average; the Census median home value is market value, not county assessed value.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
- City of Florence utility rates (July 1, 2026)
- City of Florence water and sewer services
- Florence County 2026 levy chart
- City of Florence property tax page
- City of Florence FY26-27 budget book
- New to Florence (providers)
- Sanitation Division
- Duke Energy Progress Schedule RES
- 2025 Water Quality Report
- SC DOR legal residence guide
- Triple-I homeowners premiums
- Census median home value
- Duke Energy Progress rate notice
- City of Florence CARE program
How Florence compares
A typical Florence house against the 1000 cities we cover nationwide, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Florence | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 0.89% | 1.36% | lower than 907 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide |
| Water | $466 | $681 | lower than 769 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $847 | $692 | higher than 606 of the other 882 cities we cover nationwide |
| Trash | $117 | $336 | lower than 758 of the other 819 cities we cover nationwide |
| Electricity and gas | $1,846 | $2,439 | lower than 861 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
| Home insurance | $1,571 | $1,492 | higher than 487 of the other 766 cities we cover nationwide |
| Total | $6,723 | $10,827 | lower than 920 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Property tax rate
The fact: Florence's property tax rate is 0.89%, lower than 907 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in Florence is 0.89%, lower than 907 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"
2. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $466 a year at typical use, lower than 769 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide.
Ask: "Water here costs about $466 a year at typical use, lower than 769 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
3. Trash
The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $117 a year for the standard cart, lower than 758 of the other 819 cities we cover nationwide. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.
Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $117 a year for the standard cart, lower than 758 of the other 819 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"
4. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,846 a year, lower than 861 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,846 a year for a typical house, lower than 861 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Florence house costs
What is the property tax rate in Florence?
About 0.89% of the value before exemptions a year (2026, Florence County district 110 (inside Florence city)), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Florence?
About $4,438 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in Florence?
About $109 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Florence.
How much does trash pickup cost in Florence?
$10 a month for a house.
When is property tax due in Florence?
Jan 15: Property taxes are due and payable on or before January 15 of each year
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Florence?
Yes. Seniors 65+, disabled or legally blind: real estate tax relief: South Carolina law provides for real estate tax relief for senior, disabled, and legally blind citizens who meet certain requirements.
Where can I get help paying utility bills in Florence?
CARE program for City water customers: To receive assistance through the CARE Program, applicants must receive their water from the City of Florence. Contact Lighthouse Ministries by phone to determine eligibility and to schedule an appointment.
How much does a house in Florence cost to run each year?
A Florence house at the typical market value ($211,400) costs about $6,700 a year: $1,880 property tax and charges, $1,310 water and sewer, $120 trash, $1,850 electricity, $1,570 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.