Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Sebastian?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Sebastian 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 Sebastian?

Hilton Head Island has the higher median household income — $88,348 versus $79,849 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Sebastian?

A paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $90,135 there versus $81,223 in Sebastian.

Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Sebastian?

Sebastian has cheaper rent — a median of $1,509/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Hilton Head Island vs Sebastian

Metro-area medians — Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metro Area vs Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Hilton Head Island comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Hilton Head Island and Sebastian cost about the same to live in, but Hilton Head Island households earn about 11% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island.

Their widest everyday difference: Hilton Head Island has the tighter job market — 2.7% unemployment versus 3.1%.

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

Sebastian, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$62,369

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Sebastian leaves you about $2,787/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

Sebastian

Livability (CityLedger)

72/100

62/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.0

98.3

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$90,135

$81,223

Median household income

$88,348

$79,849

Median rent

$1,903/mo

$1,509/mo

Median home value

$511,100

$399,800

Unemployment

2.7%

3.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.9%

38.2%

Average commute

26.5 min

26.1 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

67°F

74°F

Choose Hilton Head Island for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Hilton Head Island profile →

Choose Sebastian for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value

Full Sebastian profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Hilton Head Island and Sebastian on cost, income, size, and education.

Hilton Head Island vs Santa Fe→Hilton Head Island vs Kingston→Hilton Head Island vs Naples→Sebastian vs Prescott Valley→Sebastian vs Punta Gorda→Sebastian vs Barnstable Town→

Hilton Head Island vs Sebastian — frequently asked

Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Sebastian?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Sebastian 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 Sebastian?: Hilton Head Island has the higher median household income — $88,348 versus $79,849 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Sebastian?: A paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $90,135 there versus $81,223 in Sebastian.
Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Sebastian?: Sebastian has cheaper rent — a median of $1,509/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).