What a Hilton Head Island 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, $687,400; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.
- Property tax$3,379
0.492% of $687,400
- Electricity$1,809
1050 kWh a month $1,809
- Water and sewer$893
7,000 gallons a month on Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD): water $32, sewer $43 a month
- TrashNot included
Residents arrange curbside collection independently or through a homeowner's association; not in the total
- Home insurance$1,571
Typical premium $1,571
A Hilton Head Island house at the typical market value ($687,400) costs about $7,700 a year: $3,380 property tax and charges, $890 water and sewer, $1,810 electricity, $1,570 home insurance; trash is billed separately. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 22, 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 rate
The Beaufort County Auditor says a legal residence is taxed at 4% instead of 6%, and this must be requested through the Beaufort County Assessor's office.
How: Request it through the Beaufort County Assessor's office.
Seniors 65+: homestead exemption
The Beaufort County Assessor says there is a tax break for individuals 65 or older: contact the County Auditor for details about the homestead exemption.
How: Call the Beaufort County Auditor at (843) 255-2500.
Money dates
- Jan 1 - Jan 15 each yearin 69 days4% special assessment ratio: application period January 1 of the present year to January 15 of the following year
Who serves this house
- Water
- Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD)
- Hilton Head PSD residential water, rates as of July 2026: $19.25 base charge per unit and four usage tiers per 1,000 gallons.
- Property tax
- 0.49% of value
- 2026
- Garbage
- Private haulers (arranged by the resident or the homeowner's association)
- Residents in the Town of Hilton Head have the option to arrange for curbside collection service (independently or through a homeowner's association) or to deliver solid waste to one of the County's convenience centers
- Sewer
- Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD)
- Residential sewer: $21.25 base charge plus $3.16 per 1,000 gallons of water used, with usage capped at 10,000 gallons a month
- Electricity
- Palmetto Electric Cooperative
- Palmetto Electric has been removing overhead distribution power lines on Hilton Head Island since 2004
Your water
- Source
- Hilton Head PSD obtains approximately 60 percent of its water from three groundwater wells in the brackish Middle Floridan Aquifer.
- Rest of supply
- The remainder is bought as treated water from Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority and drawn from groundwater wells in the freshwater Upper Floridan Aquifer.
Other SC cities
How these numbers are made
- Property tax: Beaufort County Tax Year 2026 millage card for tax district #510 (Hilton Head #1 PSD, inside the Town): county levies 59.5 mills, school debt 36.3, Hilton Head No. 1 PSD 7.7 and Town of Hilton Head Island 19.4 mills, each multiplied by the 4% legal-residence ratio (the card's 4% total is 122.9 mills). School operating mills (126.1) are not charged on a 4% legal residence and are left out. Tax district #520 (Broad Creek PSD, 10.0 mills instead of 7.7 PSD) and #550 (South Beach) also lie inside the Town; they differ by a few mills.
- The starting value is the Census median market value; Beaufort County assessments (and the 4% ratio, applied to market value) can differ. The county stormwater fee, which depends on a parcel's impervious and gross area, and any Local Option Credit are not modeled.
- Water and sewer: Hilton Head PSD residential rates as of July 2026; PSD water tiers are 10,000-gallon blocks per month. Broad Creek PSD, which serves part of the island, is not modeled. No typical use is published, so the page starts at its default.
- Electricity: Palmetto Electric Cooperative Schedule 1 ($0.99 per day x 365 / 12 plus 11.49 cents per kWh); sales tax, franchise fees and any power cost adjustment are not included, so the bill shown is before those. Typical use is the EIA 2024 South Carolina residential average. Gas was not modeled.
- Trash: the Town has no city trash bill in these sources; residents contract with a private hauler, so trash is shown at $0 and the yearly total excludes private trash pickup, which residents pay a hauler directly. Insurance is the 2022 statewide average (the only input older than 2026; no newer Triple-I figure was found); it is likely below premiums for coastal Hilton Head Island, so the total may be understated. Water base charge $19.25 is read from the PSD page's table by column order.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
- Beaufort County TY2026 millage card
- Hilton Head PSD rates (July 2026)
- Hilton Head PSD 2025 water quality report
- Palmetto Electric rates
- Palmetto Electric on Hilton Head Island
- SC DOR legal residence guide
- Beaufort County convenience centers report
- Census median home value
- EIA residential averages
- Triple-I homeowners premiums
- Beaufort County Assessor important dates
- Beaufort County Assessor FAQ
- Legal residence vs homestead
How Hilton Head Island compares
A typical Hilton Head Island house against the 532 cities we cover nationwide, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Hilton Head Island | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | 1.19% | lower than 515 of the other 523 cities we cover nationwide |
| Water | $383 | $654 | lower than 448 of the other 531 cities we cover nationwide |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $510 | $719 | lower than 359 of the other 457 cities we cover nationwide |
| Electricity and gas | $1,809 | $2,767 | lower than 483 of the other 531 cities we cover nationwide |
| Home insurance | $1,571 | $1,492 | higher than 332 of the other 512 cities we cover nationwide |
| Total | $7,652 | $11,513 | lower than 471 of the other 531 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: Hilton Head Island's property tax rate is 0.49%, lower than 515 of the other 523 cities we cover nationwide. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in Hilton Head Island is 0.49%, lower than 515 of the other 523 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 $383 a year at typical use, lower than 448 of the other 531 cities we cover nationwide.
Ask: "Water here costs about $383 a year at typical use, lower than 448 of the other 531 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
3. Sewer and utility-bill fees
The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $510 a year, lower than 359 of the other 457 cities we cover nationwide. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.
Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $510 a year, lower than 359 of the other 457 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
4. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,809 a year, lower than 483 of the other 531 cities we cover nationwide. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,809 a year for a typical house, lower than 483 of the other 531 cities we cover nationwide. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Hilton Head Island house costs
What is the property tax rate in Hilton Head Island?
About 0.49% of the value before exemptions a year (2026), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Hilton Head Island?
About $2,458 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in Hilton Head Island?
About $74 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on Hilton Head Public Service District (PSD).
How much does trash pickup cost in Hilton Head Island?
Residents arrange curbside collection independently or through a homeowner's association; not in the total
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Hilton Head Island?
Yes. Seniors 65+: homestead exemption: The Beaufort County Assessor says there is a tax break for individuals 65 or older: contact the County Auditor for details about the homestead exemption.
How much does a house in Hilton Head Island cost to run each year?
A Hilton Head Island house at the typical market value ($687,400) costs about $7,700 a year: $3,380 property tax and charges, $890 water and sewer, $1,810 electricity, $1,570 home insurance; trash is billed separately. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.