Chamberlain-Kay House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Belton costs less to live in than 84% of U.S. towns
It ranks #19 of 168 in South Carolina for affordability. Up 2.9% in a year, 15% below the South Carolina typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area ($71K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Greenville metro earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of metro income, and 44% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $259Ktypical home, 15% below the South Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,180a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Greenville metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 77)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Greenville-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 44%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across South Carolina: 52%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Belton’s housing numbers say
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $918, under the South Carolina median of $1,251, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 0.69% a year, against 0.48% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $150 a month. Property taxes ↓
Values rose faster than South Carolina’s over five years
The typical Belton home is up 45% in five years, against 24% across South Carolina. Since October 2016 it has about doubled, from $117K to $259K. Price trend ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Belton’s homes were built before 1957, against 1992 for South Carolina as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Belton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Belton is more affordable than 84% of U.S. towns, #19 of 168 in South Carolina. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced South Carolina: the typical Belton home is up 44.9% in five years, against 23.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 44.9% in five years
Faster than South Carolina (23.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Belton | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $118,000 | $170,000 |
| 2018 | $121,000 | $179,000 |
| 2019 | $133,000 | $189,000 |
| 2020 | $140,000 | $199,000 |
| 2021 | $161,000 | $221,000 |
| 2022 | $186,000 | $259,000 |
| 2023 | $208,000 | $289,000 |
| 2024 | $236,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $251,000 | $304,000 |
| 2026 | $254,000 | $304,000 |
| September 2026 | $259,000 | $304,000 |
A typical Belton home worth $117K in October 2016 is worth about $259K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 6 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Belton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Belton home, with $26K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,180 a month here, $330 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Belton’s typical property tax (0.69% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,180
Renters already here pay a median of $972, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Anderson, SC HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $918, under the South Carolina median of $1,251, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.69% a year, against 0.48% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Belton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area, or South Carolina. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 93 | SC 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | SC 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 89 | SC 88 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | SC 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Belton and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belton | A− | $259K | $134K | 0.69% | $1,180 |
Questions about the cost of living in Belton
Is Belton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Belton costs less than 84% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #19 of 168 in South Carolina. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Belton?
About $259K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.9% in a year. The South Carolina typical home is $304K.
What salary do you need to live in Belton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $65,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,510 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $47,000.
How much is rent in Belton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,180 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $972 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Belton?
The median bill is $918 a year, 0.69% of the median home value (South Carolina: $1,251, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Belton going up?
Yes: up 2.9% in the past year and 44.9% in five years, against 23.7% across South Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Belton buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.