Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Santa Fe?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Santa Fe metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Hilton Head Island or Santa Fe?

Household incomes are similar — $88,348 in the Hilton Head Island metro versus $88,719 in Santa Fe (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Santa Fe?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($90,135 versus $89,827).

Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Santa Fe?

Santa Fe has cheaper rent — a median of $1,586/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Hilton Head Island vs Santa Fe

Metro-area medians — Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metro Area vs Santa Fe, NM Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Santa Fe comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Hilton Head Island and Santa Fe are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Hilton Head Island, SC

$58,400

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$59,582

real value after local prices

Santa Fe, NM

$58,938

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$59,674

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Santa Fe leaves you about $92/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Hilton Head Island

Santa Fe

Livability (CityLedger)

72/100

75/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.0

98.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$90,135

$89,827

Median household income

$88,348

$88,719

Median rent

$1,903/mo

$1,586/mo

Median home value

$511,100

$473,800

Unemployment

2.7%

3.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.9%

49.4%

Average commute

26.5 min

25.5 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

67°F

52°F

Choose Hilton Head Island for

+ Unemployment

Full Hilton Head Island profile →

Choose Santa Fe for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Santa Fe profile →

Hilton Head Island vs Santa Fe — frequently asked

Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Santa Fe?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Santa Fe metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Hilton Head Island or Santa Fe?: Household incomes are similar — $88,348 in the Hilton Head Island metro versus $88,719 in Santa Fe (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Santa Fe?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($90,135 versus $89,827).
Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Santa Fe?: Santa Fe has cheaper rent — a median of $1,586/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).