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True Cost of St. James Plantation

Brunswick County · Golf + beach club memberships · The add-on fee structure explained

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All-In Annual Cost — $600,000 Home, Brunswick County

ComponentMonthly (est.)Annual (est.)Notes
Base HOA~$150–$400/mo~$1,800–$4,800/yrVaries by section; covers community maintenance and base amenity access
Golf membership (if desired)~$167–$500/mo~$2,000–$6,000/yr4 courses at different price tiers; not required but most residents add at least one
Beach club membership (Oak Island)~$50–$125/mo~$600–$1,500/yrPrivate beach club access — separate membership required
Brunswick County property tax~$208–$325/mo~$2,500–$3,900/yr$600K home; county rate plus Southport municipal
Homeowners insurance~$200–$375/mo~$2,400–$4,500/yrSouthport coastal location; verify flood zone on specific address
Total Annual Housing Cost (ex-mortgage)~$9,300–$20,700/yr depending on golf and beach club memberships selected
What buyers missThe gap between the low and high end of St. James annual costs is $11,400/year — entirely driven by which memberships you choose. A buyer who does not golf and does not join the beach club has a very different annual cost than a golfer with two course memberships and the beach club. Be specific about which memberships you plan to use before building your budget.
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The NC Tax Advantage

North Carolina does not tax Social Security at any income level. The state flat income tax rate is 4.5% on other retirement income, declining to 3.99% by 2027. Brunswick County has one of the lowest effective property tax rates of any coastal county in the Southeast at $0.3420 per $100 assessed value. Combined with the NC homestead exclusion for 65+ buyers, the all-in annual tax burden for Wilmington retirees is genuinely competitive with any market in our coverage.

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