Myrtle Beach vs Wilmington (North Carolina)
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Myrtle Beach edges it, 64 to 63, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Myrtle Beach is stronger on nothing outright; Wilmington (North Carolina) on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Budget Atlantic beach city on the Grand Strand, built for tourists
Full Myrtle Beach profile →Hotels in the United States →Cape Fear river port with a historic downtown and beaches 20 minutes away
Full Wilmington (North Carolina) profile →Hotels in the United States →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 17 | 17 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 81 | 81 |
| Internet | 87 ✓ | 87 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 46 ✓ | 42 |
| Climate | 42 ✓ | 33 |
| Air quality | 97 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 95 | 95 |
Cost
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 76.4 yrs | 76.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 112 Mbps | 125.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 19.8 Mbps ✓ | 11.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 60 ✓ | 25 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.5 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Myrtle Beach or Wilmington (North Carolina)?
- Wilmington (North Carolina) is cheaper: about $3,000 per month versus $3,000 for one person.
- Is Myrtle Beach or Wilmington (North Carolina) safer?
- Myrtle Beach scores higher on safety (51 vs 51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Myrtle Beach or Wilmington (North Carolina)?
- Wilmington (North Carolina): a measured median of 125.1 Mbps versus 112 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Myrtle Beach vs Asheville
- Myrtle Beach vs Louisville
- Wilmington (North Carolina) vs South Lake Tahoe
- Wilmington (North Carolina) vs Reno
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.