Myrtle Beach Retirement Communities

What Retirement Costs Here

The financial case for South Carolina is stronger than most people expect, and three parts of it apply directly to retirees.

The homestead exemption is the one most often missed. It applies from age 65 — or at any age if you are permanently and totally disabled or legally blind — once you have held South Carolina residency for a year, and it is not applied automatically. See my Horry County Property Tax page for what it saves and how the 4% primary residence rate works, and run your own numbers with my property tax calculator.

Myrtle Beach 55 Communities

Many of the active retirement communities in Myrtle Beach South Carolina are located in Carolina Forest, Grande Dunes or Barefoot Resort.

These are excellent for the senior crowds, but sometimes you want a place to live where everyone is your age and has the same needs and interests. For that, you need a 55 plus community. You are in luck because Myrtle Beach is home to some of the best 55 plus communities in SC, with more being built as "the lifestyle" increases in popularity here at the beach.

There are more than forty active adult communities across the Grand Strand, ranging from neighborhoods of under 100 homes to developments of 1,500. These are the ones buyers ask about most.

Active Adult Communities in Myrtle Beach SC

An active adult community is built around the lifestyle, not just the age on the deed. Expect a clubhouse with a full calendar, a fitness center, pools, pickleball and bocce courts, walking trails and a lifestyle director whose job is to keep the calendar full. Most are age-restricted 55 plus, with single-level floor plans, low-maintenance yards and HOA-covered lawn care so you can lock the door and travel.

They run from coastal resort settings in North Myrtle Beach and Grande Dunes to quieter inland neighborhoods in Carolina Forest and Conway, and south to Murrells Inlet. The communities below are grouped by area so you can match the lifestyle to the part of the Grand Strand you want to live in.

North Myrtle Beach

• Del Webb North Myrtle Beach 535 single-family homes one mile from the beach, with a 12,000 square-foot clubhouse.
• Waters Edge One of the most recently started 55+ communities in North Myrtle Beach.

Myrtle Beach

• The Grove at Coastal Grand One of the newest 55+ communities in Myrtle Beach.
• Island Green An affordable 55+ golf community in Myrtle Beach.

Grande Dunes

• Del Webb Grande Dunes Inside Grande Dunes, on the waterway side, with access to the wider community.
• Waterside Edge A gated section within Del Webb at Grande Dunes.
• Waterside Pointe A second gated section within Del Webb at Grande Dunes.

Carolina Forest

• Carillon at Tuscany Gated 55+ section within Tuscany, in Carolina Forest.

Conway

• Myrtle Trace An established 55+ community in Conway, with two further sections alongside it.
• Myrtle Trace Grande A separate 55+ section alongside Myrtle Trace.
• Myrtle Trace South A third 55+ section in the Myrtle Trace area.

Murrells Inlet

• Seasons at Prince Creek The 55+ section of Prince Creek in Murrells Inlet.
• Woodlake Village An established 55+ neighborhood, smaller and with lower association fees than the newer builds.
• Spring Forest An established 55+ neighborhood with a close-knit feel.

Myrtle Beach 55 Plus Homes for Sale

Most 55 plus homes for sale in Myrtle Beach are single-level, two or three bedrooms, with a two-car garage and a screened porch or lanai, and the newer builds come with hurricane-rated construction and open floor plans. The established neighborhoods in Conway and Murrells Inlet are the value end of the market; the top end is a lake or waterway lot in Del Webb Grande Dunes and Del Webb North Myrtle Beach.

Resale listings in these communities move quickly and new construction has its own timing, lot premiums and incentives that never show up on a listing site. Tell me the area, the price range and whether you want a pool or a clubhouse view, and I will send you every 55+ listing that fits as soon as it hits the market. Send me your wish list or call (843) 685-3191.

Staying Active

Golf is the obvious draw, and the Grand Strand has more courses than almost anywhere in the country. But the sport that has grown fastest here is pickleball — there are seventeen places to play across Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, with major new complexes opening, and it is especially popular with the 55+ crowd.

Several 55+ communities have their own courts, and most sit within a short drive of a recreation center with indoor courts. If that matters to you, it is worth factoring in alongside the house itself.