Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Wilmington?

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

Hilton Head Island has the higher median household income — $88,348 versus $78,890 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.

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

A paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $90,135 there versus $81,817 in Wilmington.

Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Wilmington?

Wilmington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,578/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Hilton Head Island vs Wilmington

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

Hilton Head Island and Wilmington are evenly matched, each taking 4 of the clearly-decided measures.

Hilton Head Island and Wilmington cost about the same to live in, but Hilton Head Island households earn about 12% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island.

Their widest everyday difference: the typical commute is shorter in Wilmington — about 23.7 min versus 26.5 min.

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

Wilmington, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$60,845

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Wilmington leaves you about $1,263/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

Wilmington

Livability (CityLedger)

72/100

65/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.0

96.4

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$90,135

$81,817

Median household income

$88,348

$78,890

Median rent

$1,903/mo

$1,578/mo

Median home value

$511,100

$397,300

Unemployment

2.7%

2.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.9%

41.3%

Average commute

26.5 min

23.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

67°F

64°F

Choose Hilton Head Island for

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

Full Hilton Head Island profile →

Choose Wilmington for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Wilmington profile →

More comparisons

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

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Hilton Head Island vs Wilmington — frequently asked

Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Wilmington?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Wilmington 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 Wilmington?: Hilton Head Island has the higher median household income — $88,348 versus $78,890 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Wilmington?: A paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $90,135 there versus $81,817 in Wilmington.
Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Wilmington?: Wilmington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,578/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).