Best Suburbs of Charleston SC: Comparison Chart + Guide
Market Update
Market Update
Looking for the best suburbs of Charleston SC? The honest answer is that the best one depends on your budget, your commute and the kind of home you want. So I built the chart I wish every buyer had: 11 areas around Charleston side by side, with what single-family homes sold for this year, how fast they sold, and which county and town you'd be in. The market numbers come from the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® (CTAR). The town numbers come from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Making a shortlist? I'll put together a free suburb comparison tour: two or three areas on your list, homes in your price range, and the drive at rush hour. Call or text me at (443) 864-2332.
These are single-family home numbers for January through September 2026, from CTAR's September 2026 Local Market Updates, the latest reports out as of early November. I use the year-to-date numbers because one month in one area can swing a lot. The areas are CTAR's MLS areas, which don't always match town limits.
Area | Single-family median price | Change vs. 2025 | Homes sold | Days on market | Townhouse-condo median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Daniel Island | $2,132,708 | +11.5% | 168 | 30 | $1,044,500 |
Lower Mount Pleasant | $1,294,500 | +7.9% | 513 | 38 | $457,450 |
Upper Mount Pleasant | $980,000 | -5.8% | 637 | 41 | $560,000 |
Wando / Cainhoy | $846,940 | -0.3% | 260 | 31 | $414,500 |
Johns Island | $725,000 | +3.6% | 514 | 48 | $480,000 |
James Island | $710,000 | +4.1% | 384 | 34 | $368,950 |
West Ashley | $560,000 | -0.7% | 745 | 37 | $351,250 |
Hanahan | $445,000 | +4.7% | 145 | 34 | $307,500 |
Goose Creek / Moncks Corner | $406,990 | -0.1% | 2,541 | 49 | $299,900 |
Greater Summerville | $405,000 | +0.9% | 1,738 | 48 | $265,000 |
Greater North Charleston | $349,900 | +0.5% | 711 | 48 | $280,000 |
What jumps out:
One note: CTAR's medians don't account for seller concessions, so the price on paper isn't always the full story.
Several of the areas above are their own towns or cities. Here's how they compare in the Census Bureau's QuickFacts.
Town or city | County | Population (July 2025 estimate) | Growth since 2020 | Average commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Charleston | Charleston and Berkeley | 159,423 | 5.8% | 24.2 min |
North Charleston | Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester | 129,245 | 12.5% | 24.5 min |
Mount Pleasant | Charleston | 95,469 | 4.9% | 24.9 min |
Summerville | Mostly Dorchester, with small parts in Berkeley and Charleston | 53,177 | 4.6% | 31.2 min |
Goose Creek | Berkeley | 52,010 | 12.9% | 26.7 min |
Hanahan | Berkeley | 22,415 | 10.5% | 23.9 min |
The City of Charleston covers much more than downtown. It includes West Ashley, Daniel Island, the Cainhoy area and about half of James Island. "Average commute" is the Census figure for the mean travel time to work for people who live in each town, wherever they work. It isn't a drive time to downtown, so test your own route.
Want this chart for your budget? Tell me your price range and the home you want, and I'll set up a free custom search across the two or three suburbs that fit. Call or text (443) 864-2332 or email [email protected].
Mount Pleasant is a town in Charleston County, across the Cooper River from downtown. The Ravenel Bridge, an eight-lane part of U.S. 17 completed in 2005, links the two. Mount Pleasant is also the mainland side of the bridges to Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms. CTAR splits the town into two areas. Lower Mount Pleasant had a $1,294,500 single-family median this year, up 7.9%. Upper Mount Pleasant came in at $980,000, down 5.8%. For a closer look, see my Old Village Mount Pleasant guide.
Daniel Island is about 4,000 acres between the Cooper and Wando rivers. It's part of the City of Charleston, but it sits in Berkeley County. It's a master-planned community with parks, trails and its own downtown, and homes started going up in 1996 after I-526 was finished. It was the priciest area in the chart at a $2,132,708 median, up 11.5%. My guide to Daniel Island homes for sale goes deeper.
The City of Charleston also reaches across the Cooper River into the Cainhoy area, in Berkeley County. By number of sales, it's the fastest-growing area in the chart. CTAR's Wando / Cainhoy area closed 260 single-family homes through September, up 103.1% from a year earlier, at an $846,940 median.
James Island sits between downtown and Folly Beach. About half of it is in the City of Charleston, and the rest is the Town of James Island or unincorporated county. The single-family median was $710,000, up 4.1%. Read more in my guide to living on James Island SC.
Johns Island is the largest island in South Carolina, at 84 square miles. It borders Kiawah and Seabrook islands, and Maybank Highway (SC 700) links it to James Island and Charleston. It's also home to the Angel Oak, an exceptionally large Southern live oak in Angel Oak Park. Johns Island had 514 single-family sales at a $725,000 median, with homes taking 48 days to sell.
West Ashley is the part of the City of Charleston west of the Ashley River. It isn't its own town, though a few pockets are unincorporated county. Its main roads include U.S. 17 (Savannah Highway), SC 61 (Ashley River Road), SC 7 (Sam Rittenberg Boulevard) and I-526. The West Ashley Greenway, a rail trail, runs alongside Savannah Highway. Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site preserves the spot where English colonists started Charleston in 1670. West Ashley had 745 single-family sales at a $560,000 median.
Summerville became a town in 1847. Most of it is in Dorchester County, with small parts in Berkeley and Charleston counties. I-26 runs through its northeast corner, and U.S. 78 leads about 24 miles southeast to downtown Charleston. It had the longest average commute in the Census table, 31.2 minutes. Greater Summerville had 1,738 single-family sales at a $405,000 median.
Goose Creek is the most populous city in Berkeley County, and most of Naval Support Activity Charleston is inside its limits. Moncks Corner, just south of Lake Moultrie, is the Berkeley County seat. Goose Creek's population grew 12.9% from 2020 to 2025, the most of any town in the Census table. Together, CTAR's Goose Creek / Moncks Corner area had 2,541 single-family sales at a $406,990 median.
Hanahan is a small city at the south end of Berkeley County, bordered by North Charleston and Goose Creek. It had the shortest average commute in the Census table, 23.9 minutes. It's a smaller market, with 145 single-family sales this year at a $445,000 median, up 4.7%.
North Charleston was the third-most populous city in South Carolina in the 2020 census, and it spans Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. I-26 and I-526 both run through it. It had the lowest single-family median in the chart, $349,900, with 711 sales.
Price is only part of it. These can change from one address to the next, even inside the same suburb:
What is the most affordable suburb of Charleston SC?
Of the areas in my chart, Greater North Charleston had the lowest single-family median for January through September 2026, at $349,900. Greater Summerville ($405,000) and Goose Creek / Moncks Corner ($406,990) came next. Townhomes and condos cost less: the Greater Summerville townhouse-condo median was $265,000.
Which Charleston suburbs are closest to the beach?
Mount Pleasant connects to Sullivan's Island by the Ben Sawyer Bridge and to Isle of Palms by the Isle of Palms Connector. From James Island, Folly Road leads to Folly Beach. Johns Island borders Kiawah and Seabrook islands.
Which Charleston suburb has the shortest commute?
By the Census average travel time to work, Hanahan was shortest at 23.9 minutes, then the City of Charleston at 24.2 and North Charleston at 24.5. Summerville was longest at 31.2 minutes.
Which Charleston suburb is growing fastest?
From 2020 to 2025, Goose Creek grew 12.9% and North Charleston 12.5%, per Census estimates. By home sales, CTAR's Wando / Cainhoy area doubled its single-family sales this year.
Is Daniel Island part of Charleston?
Yes. Daniel Island is in the City of Charleston, but it's in Berkeley County, not Charleston County.
A chart is a good start, but the best way to choose is to see a few places in person. I'm happy to set up a free suburb comparison tour: homes in your price range in two or three areas, the drive at the times you'd make it, and the flood zone and county for each address. If you're still out of town, we can start with a quick relocation call and a custom search.
Call or text me at (443) 864-2332, or email [email protected].
Talk soon,
Jameson
Banner photo: I'on Subdivision in Mount Pleasant, SC by Mark Cowell, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Market data from CTAR Local Market Updates, September 2026; town data from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. Past results don't guarantee future ones.
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