Charleston vs Hanahan vs North Charleston vs Goose Creek: taxes

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Charleston County Auditor’s 2026 millage levy (PDF), the Berkeley County Auditor’s millage table, the South Carolina school report cards, Zillow Research, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and the four cities’ own websites, linked below.

Charleston’s three nearest neighbors that are incorporated cities are Hanahan, about seven miles away, North Charleston, about eight miles, and Goose Creek, about 12 miles, measured between the Census Bureau’s center points for each place. Mount Pleasant and James Island, which are nearer, are towns. Hanahan and Goose Creek are in Berkeley County; Charleston and North Charleston are mostly in Charleston County, and both also reach into Berkeley County. Every figure below is from an official or published source, for the same year or month in all four places. This page does not rank them. For areas inside Charleston, see our neighborhoods guide.

Property taxes

South Carolina rates are set in mills: one mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. A home you own and live in can be assessed at 4% of its value instead of 6% if you apply; see our property tax guide.

All four cities appear in the Berkeley County Auditor’s millage table for 2026-27 (revised Sept. 18, 2026), because each has land in Berkeley County. That gives one source and one year for the city levies:

The Berkeley County totals include 246.5 county and school mills that every Berkeley County property pays. Most homes in Charleston and North Charleston are in Charleston County instead. The Charleston County Auditor’s 2026 millage levy (PDF) sets 218.8 countywide mills, including 168.2 for Charleston County School District. With the city levy, that is 300.8 mills in the City of Charleston and 310.3 in North Charleston’s main tax district. Charleston’s 82 city mills are 72.5 for operations, 4 for drainage and 5.5 for public safety infrastructure.

Homestead exemption. South Carolina’s homestead exemption takes the first $50,000 of a home’s value off the tax for owners who are 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled or legally blind, in all four cities; you apply through your county auditor, for example with Charleston County’s homestead exemption application (PDF). None of the four cities publishes a separate city exemption that we found.

High schools and their state ratings

Each county’s district assigns schools by address, not by city. These are the zoned high schools for each city, with the overall rating and the 2025 graduation rate from the state’s report card data.

Charleston’s five are the schools its areas are zoned for, from our neighborhoods guide. Magnet and charter high schools, including Academic Magnet High in North Charleston, take students by application and are left out of the table. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

More in our home prices guide.

Population, income and commute

From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four, as shown on each city’s QuickFacts page:

The Census median home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over five years, so it differs from Zillow’s index.

Who provides city services

Homes in unincorporated pockets next to each city are served by the county instead. See our trash and recycling guide and who to call at City Hall.

How to check an address

• Which city and county a parcel is in: Charleston County’s GIS Parcel Viewer and Berkeley County’s real property search.
• Which schools serve it: Charleston County School District’s school lookup tool, and Berkeley County School District for Daniel Island, Cainhoy, Hanahan and Goose Creek.
• What the tax might be: the Charleston County Auditor’s tax estimator, and the Berkeley County millage table.

Berkeley County’s website did not load for our automated check on Oct. 16, 2026; the Berkeley County figures above are as the table stood when we last read it, on Oct. 12, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the City of Charleston’s property tax rate for 2026?

The Charleston County Auditor’s 2026 millage levy puts the City of Charleston at 82 city mills, including 4 for drainage and 5.5 for public safety infrastructure, plus 218.8 countywide mills, for 300.8 mills in all.

Which city has the lowest city tax rate: Charleston, Hanahan, North Charleston or Goose Creek?

In Berkeley County’s 2026-27 millage table, the city levies are 60 mills in Goose Creek, 79 in Hanahan, 82 in Charleston and 91.5 in North Charleston. Goose Creek also lists a $195 sanitation fee. County and school mills are added on top and differ by county.

What is the typical home value in Charleston compared with Hanahan, North Charleston and Goose Creek?

In September 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $587,511 in Charleston, $415,862 in Hanahan, $309,108 in North Charleston and $324,332 in Goose Creek.

Are Charleston and Hanahan in the same school district?

Not usually. Most of Charleston is served by Charleston County School District, but its Daniel Island and Cainhoy areas are in Berkeley County School District, which also serves Hanahan and Goose Creek.