Is Atlantic City cheaper than Myrtle Beach?

Myrtle Beach is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 6% below Atlantic City's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach?

Atlantic City has the higher median household income — $80,806 versus $68,534 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 18% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach?

A paycheck stretches further in Atlantic City. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $81,740 there versus $73,187 in Myrtle Beach.

Which has cheaper rent, Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach?

Rents are close — $1,467/mo in the Atlantic City metro versus $1,433/mo in Myrtle Beach (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Atlantic City vs Myrtle Beach

Metro-area medians — Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area vs Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Atlantic City comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Myrtle Beach is about 6% cheaper to live in, while Atlantic City households earn about 18% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Atlantic City.

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

Atlantic City, NJ

$58,662

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$59,341

real value after local prices

Myrtle Beach, SC

$58,400

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$62,365

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Myrtle Beach leaves you about $3,025/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

Atlantic City

Myrtle Beach

Livability (CityLedger)

44/100

37/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.9

93.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$81,740

$73,187

Median household income

$80,806

$68,534

Median rent

$1,467/mo

$1,433/mo

Median home value

$366,000

$325,300

Unemployment

6.8%

5.2%

Bachelor's degree or higher

33.1%

27.6%

Average commute

26.2 min

24.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

55°F

64°F

Choose Atlantic City for

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

Full Atlantic City profile →

Choose Myrtle Beach for

+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Myrtle Beach profile →

Atlantic City vs Myrtle Beach — frequently asked

Is Atlantic City cheaper than Myrtle Beach?: Myrtle Beach is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 6% below Atlantic City's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach?: Atlantic City has the higher median household income — $80,806 versus $68,534 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 18% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach?: A paycheck stretches further in Atlantic City. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $81,740 there versus $73,187 in Myrtle Beach.
Which has cheaper rent, Atlantic City or Myrtle Beach?: Rents are close — $1,467/mo in the Atlantic City metro versus $1,433/mo in Myrtle Beach (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).