Faith Cabin Library at Anderson County Training School · Photo: KudzuVine · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Pendleton costs less to live in than 68% of U.S. towns
It ranks #55 of 168 in South Carolina for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 9% 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 3.5 years of metro income, and 41% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $278Ktypical home, 9% below the South Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,310a 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
- 3.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Greenville-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 41%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across South Carolina: 52%Census 2020–24
- 8%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What’s behind Pendleton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pendleton is more affordable than 68% of U.S. towns, #55 of 168 in South Carolina. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced South Carolina: the typical Pendleton home is up 30.1% in five years, against 23.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 30.1% in five years
Faster than South Carolina (23.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Pendleton | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $146,000 | $170,000 |
| 2018 | $151,000 | $179,000 |
| 2019 | $161,000 | $189,000 |
| 2020 | $169,000 | $199,000 |
| 2021 | $189,000 | $221,000 |
| 2022 | $225,000 | $259,000 |
| 2023 | $250,000 | $289,000 |
| 2024 | $269,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $275,000 | $304,000 |
| 2026 | $279,000 | $304,000 |
| September 2026 | $278,000 | $304,000 |
A typical Pendleton home worth $144K in October 2016 is worth about $278K 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 13 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 3.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pendleton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Pendleton home, with $13K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,310 a month here, $270 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pendleton’s typical property tax (0.54% 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 $1,310
Renters already here pay a median of $1,034, 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.
Property tax runs above the South Carolina norm
The median bill is $1,341 (South Carolina: $1,251), 0.54% of a home’s value 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 Pendleton
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.
Pendleton vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Pendleton has the lowest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton | B+ | $278K | $251K | 0.54% | $1,310 |
| Clemson | C+ | $411K | $398K | 0.48% | $1,200 |
| La France | – | — | — | — | $1,300 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Pendleton
Is Pendleton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pendleton costs less than 68% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #55 of 168 in South Carolina. The typical home costs 3.5 years of the median household income of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Pendleton?
About $278K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.2% in a year. The South Carolina typical home is $304K.
What salary do you need to live in Pendleton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $68,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,580 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $52,000.
How much is rent in Pendleton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,310 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,034 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pendleton?
The median bill is $1,341 a year, 0.54% of the median home value (South Carolina: $1,251, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pendleton going up?
No: down 0.2% in the past year and 30.1% in five years, against 23.7% across South Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pendleton 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, September 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.