Murrells Inlet, South Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Murrells Inlet, SC STRs averaged $467/night at 71.5% occupancy in June 2026 across roughly 2,800 listings, with no county STR permit required.
Quick Answer: Murrells Inlet, South Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Pawleys Island/Georgetown market area is 71%. average monthly revenue in the Pawleys Island/Georgetown market area is $8,237. average daily rate in the Pawleys Island/Georgetown market area is $467. the top operator in the Pawleys Island/Georgetown market area is The Litchfield Company with 403 listings. market score is 53/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Pawleys Island/Georgetown regional market, which includes Murrells Inlet. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Murrells Inlet.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Murrells Inlet’s short-term rental market, an unincorporated Georgetown County coastal village on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, comprises roughly 2,800 active listings: 440 Airbnb-only, 742 Vrbo-only, and 1,618 listed on both platforms. In June 2026, the average daily rate was $466.63 with 71.5% occupancy, down 1.16 percentage points year over year. ADR fell 1.19% year over year, yet average monthly revenue of $8,237 rose 4.58%, pointing to a modest occupancy or booking-mix improvement offsetting the softer rate. Listing type mix is almost entirely entire-place: 2,747 entire-place listings versus 52 private-room and 1 shared-room listing. Bedroom mix skews toward larger units: 3-bedroom (724 listings) and 5-plus bedroom (562 listings) lead, followed by 2-bedroom (679), 1-bedroom (443), and 4-bedroom (390). Property type drives a wide revenue spread: houses average $10,596/month, well above entire-place listings at $8,329/month and apartments at $6,183/month, a roughly 71% gap between houses and apartments. Market-score data shows high investability (88.2/100) and solid rental demand (75.2/100), but a weaker seasonality score of 47.5, reflecting a market built around waterfront dining and outdoor recreation with a defined summer peak. Nearby anchor attractions Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park pull regional and out-of-state tourists to the area, branded the Seafood Capital of South Carolina.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 29% |
| Feb | 51% |
| Mar | 58% |
| Apr | 57% |
| May | 58% |
| Jun | 73% |
| Jul | 76% |
| Aug | 61% |
| Sep | 50% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 37% |
| Dec | 34% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Murrells Inlet are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Pawleys Island/Georgetown market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Pawleys Island/Georgetown market as a whole, which includes Murrells Inlet, so these counts are not Murrells Inlet-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Litchfield Company | 403 | 1,924 | ★ 4.34 |
| 2 | Tidelife Vacation Rentals | 196 | 3,965 | ★ 4.70 |
| 3 | DeBordieu Rentals | 145 | 1,811 | ★ 4.51 |
| 4 | Dune Beach Home Rentals | 142 | 326 | ★ 4.58 |
| 5 | The Dieter Company Vacation Rentals | 112 | 323 | ★ 4.76 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Murrells Inlet?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Murrells Inlet are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 15.7% |
| vrbo | 26.5% |
| both | 57.8% |
Home Value Trends (Murrells Inlet)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Murrells Inlet are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Murrells Inlet — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Murrells Inlet is unincorporated, so short-term rental regulation falls to Georgetown County (the bulk of the community) and, for a small slice, Horry County. Georgetown County treats short-term rentals (stays under 30 days) as a residential use and does not require a special STR permit, making it relatively investor-friendly compared with incorporated cities like Charleston or Mount Pleasant. There are no county-imposed caps on rental nights and no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, though rentals are not allowed in all residential zones, so hosts must confirm their parcel’s zoning permits transient rental, and HOA, PUD, or community covenants may impose their own restrictions independent of county rules. Operators must still register and remit lodging taxes: roughly 12% combined between South Carolina’s state sales tax on accommodations (including a 2% state accommodations tax) and Georgetown County’s 3% local accommodations tax, plus a South Carolina retail/sales tax license and accommodations tax registration. Enforcement is rated minimal. Georgetown County reported a record tourism year with over $3.3 million in accommodations taxes collected, and from tax year 2023 forward, furnished residential rentals are filed as Business Personal Property (PT100) with the SC Department of Revenue rather than the prior County Auditor process. No new STR permitting ordinance for unincorporated areas was identified as of mid-2026. (Regulatory data current as of June 29, 2026.)
Market Comparison
Murrells Inlet’s June 2026 occupancy of 71.5% runs well above the roughly 55% national STR occupancy benchmark, and its ADR of $466.63 sits well above the roughly $220 national median ADR benchmark, reflecting strong demand for South Carolina Hammock Coast vacation rentals. Among property managers active in the market, The Litchfield Company leads with 403 listings and 1,924 reviews (4.34 average rating), followed by Tidelife Vacation Rentals (196 listings, 3,965 reviews, 4.70 rating) and DeBordieu Rentals (145 listings, 1,811 reviews, 4.51 rating). Combined, the top three managers operate about 744 listings, roughly 26.6% of the market’s 2,800 total active listings, a moderately consolidated operator base typical of established coastal vacation-rental markets.
Frequently Asked Questions About Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
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