What it's like to live in Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant is a smaller city in South Carolina with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mount Pleasant deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

  • Low unemployment
  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Low crime rates
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Average class sizes

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Air quality concerns
  • High rent burden for renters
  • Above-average rainfall

How Mount Pleasant compares

Median household income

Mount Pleasant$124,755
South Carolina avg$69,324
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Mount Pleasant$2,159
South Carolina avg$1,180
US$1,413

Median home value

Mount Pleasant$748,500
South Carolina avg$259,000
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Mount Pleasant

Based on Mount Pleasant's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,318

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $86,360 a year
  • 51% of Mount Pleasant renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$149,700

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $74,850
  • Homes cost 6.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 53% above US

$2,159/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,159 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $748,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $748,500 · 51% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 23% below US

3.3% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 60% below US

132 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 1028/100k · Mount Pleasant Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 27% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
66%
Work from home
27%
Carpool
5.2%
Other
1.1%
Walk
0.6%
Public transit
0.1%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
20°40°60°80°100°7"Jan: 3.81" precipitationFeb: 3.30" precipitationMar: 3.49" precipitationApr: 3.59" precipitationMay: 3.33" precipitationJun: 5.36" precipitationJul: 5.97" precipitationAug: 6.72" precipitationSep: 5.47" precipitationOct: 3.94" precipitationNov: 3.00" precipitationDec: 3.62" precipitation37°JJan: high 59°F, low 37°FFFeb: high 61°F, low 39°FMMar: high 67°F, low 45°FAApr: high 75°F, low 54°FMMay: high 82°F, low 63°FJJun: high 88°F, low 70°F91°JJul: high 91°F, low 73°FAAug: high 90°F, low 72°FSSep: high 86°F, low 68°FOOct: high 78°F, low 58°FNNov: high 69°F, low 47°FDDec: high 62°F, low 40°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

2 hospitals

There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 90% above US

68% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

16 public schools inside the boundary

There are 16 public schools inside the boundary and 10 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (0 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Mount Pleasant's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,159/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (27% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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