Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Hardeeville side by side: 2026 tax levies, 2025 school ratings, August 2026 home values and Census commute times.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the Beaufort County Auditor’s tax year 2026 millage card, the Beaufort County School District’s 2025 report card release, Hardeeville Jr-Sr High School’s 2025-26 Report to the People (PDF), Zillow Research and the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Bluffton’s two neighboring cities are Hilton Head Island, about 11 miles east across the bridges on U.S. 278, and Hardeeville, about 9 miles west in Jasper County, where U.S. 278 meets I-95 at Exit 8. Bluffton and Hilton Head Island are both towns in Beaufort County and share its school district. Hardeeville is a city mostly in Jasper County, with a different county government and school district. This page puts the official figures side by side, one topic at a time. It does not rank them.
Property tax rates
South Carolina taxes an owner-occupied legal residence at a 4% assessment ratio and most other property at 6%, and the school operations levy does not apply at 4%. These are the levies in the Beaufort County Auditor’s tax year 2026 millage card, in mills.
| Levy, tax year 2026 | Bluffton (district 610) | Hilton Head Island (district 510) | Hardeeville, Beaufort County part (district 650) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town or city operations and debt | 36.0 | 19.4 | 100.2 |
| Fire or public service district | 26.1, Bluffton Township Fire | 7.7, Hilton Head No. 1 PSD | No separate levy on the card |
| Total, owner-occupied home at 4% | 157.9 | 122.9 | 196.0 |
| Total, other property at 6% | 284.0 | 249.0 | 322.1 |
All three districts share the Beaufort County levies on the card: 56.5 mills for county operations, debt, land purchases and capital; 2.2 for USC Beaufort and the Technical College of the Lowcountry; 0.8 for indigent care; 36.3 for school debt; and 126.1 for school operations at 6% only. Hilton Head Island has several tax districts that differ by public service district; district 510 is one of them. Most of Hardeeville is in Jasper County, where Jasper County and its school district set the other levies; see Jasper County’s website.
City levies in one chart
Homestead exemption and the 4% ratio
Starting with tax year 2026, South Carolina’s homestead exemption removes the first $75,000 of a qualifying home’s value from the tax roll, up from $50,000, for legal residents who are 65 or older, disabled or legally blind, the Beaufort County Auditor says. It is state law, so it applies in all three places. The 4% legal residence ratio is applied for by the owner through the county assessor. Details for Beaufort County are in our property taxes guide.
Schools
Bluffton and Hilton Head Island are in the Beaufort County School District. Hardeeville is in the Jasper County School District; the part of Hardeeville inside Beaufort County pays the Beaufort County School District levies on the auditor’s card. Ratings are South Carolina’s 2025 report card ratings.
| City | High school | 2025 rating | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffton | Bluffton High | Excellent | District release |
| Bluffton | May River High | Good | District release |
| Hilton Head Island | Hilton Head Island High | Good | District release |
| Hardeeville | Hardeeville Jr-Sr High, high school grades | Below Average | Report to the People |
The district says Bluffton High has been rated Excellent five years in a row. Hardeeville Jr-Sr High’s middle school grades were rated Average for 2025. Look up any school on SC School Report Cards; zones inside Bluffton are in our neighborhoods guide and schools guide.
Home values
From the Zillow Home Value Index by city, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price:
| City | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffton | $500,379 | $503,154 | -0.6% |
| Hilton Head Island | $782,931 | $753,561 | +3.9% |
| Hardeeville | $414,554 | $444,899 | -6.8% |
Home values in one chart
People, income and commutes
From the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020-2024 five-year estimates, for each place:
| Bluffton | Hilton Head Island | Hardeeville | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 33,157 | 37,911 | 10,871 |
| Median household income | $111,281 | $94,657 | $78,365 |
| Median value, owner-occupied homes | $492,100 | $687,400 | $488,900 |
| Mean travel time to work | 28.3 minutes | 18.5 minutes | 24.5 minutes |
The home values in this table are what owners report to the Census Bureau, averaged over five years, so they differ from Zillow’s index. Census QuickFacts pages: Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Hardeeville.
Who provides services
| Service | Bluffton | Hilton Head Island | Hardeeville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire and rescue | Bluffton Township Fire District, a separate tax district | Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue, a town department | Hardeeville Fire Department, a city department |
Bluffton and Hardeeville each have a city police department; see the Hardeeville Police Department and our who to call page for Bluffton. For trash, the Town of Bluffton contracts with Waste Management, according to its trash and recycling page, and Hardeeville’s Public Works page lists Capital Waste Services as its trash collector. More in our trash and recycling guide.
How to check an address
- Which city and tax district a parcel is in: Beaufort County’s property search and the auditor’s tax district locator; for Jasper County parcels, start at jaspercountysc.gov.
- Estimated tax on a Beaufort County parcel: the auditor’s tax calculator.
- Zoned schools: the Beaufort County School District’s attendance zone maps, then confirm with the school.
Frequently asked questions
Which has lower town taxes, Bluffton or Hilton Head Island?
For tax year 2026 the Town of Hilton Head Island levies 19.4 mills and the Town of Bluffton 36 mills, on the Beaufort County Auditor’s millage card. Bluffton homes also pay 26.1 mills to the Bluffton Township Fire District. The full bill depends on the parcel’s tax district.
What is the typical home value in Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Hardeeville?
In August 2026, Zillow’s Home Value Index put the typical home at $500,379 in Bluffton, $782,931 on Hilton Head Island and $414,554 in Hardeeville. These are modeled values for the middle third of homes, not sale prices.
Is Hardeeville in Beaufort County?
Mostly not. Hardeeville is in Jasper County, with its own county and school district taxes. The Beaufort County Auditor lists a City of Hardeeville annexation district for the part of the city inside Beaufort County.
How long is the commute from Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Hardeeville?
The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 estimates put mean travel time to work at 28.3 minutes for Bluffton residents, 24.5 for Hardeeville and 18.5 for Hilton Head Island.
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