Hilton Head Apartments for Rent
WaterWalk at Shelter Cove sits on Broad Creek, Marsh Point has a pool and gym on the north end, and Hilton Head Gardens is income-restricted.
Hilton Head Island has only a handful of apartment complexes, most of them on the north end, plus WaterWalk at Shelter Cove in the middle of the island. Most of the area’s apartments are across the bridges in Bluffton. Below are the island’s complexes with their Google ratings and what they rent, then the income-restricted and workforce housing, then a gated community of rental houses.
Hilton Head Apartment Complexes
On Broad Creek at Shelter Cove Towne Centre, a walk from its shops, restaurants and the harbour. Pet-friendly.
A newer complex off Gardner Drive on the north end, with screened balconies, a pool and a clubhouse. Two pets per home.
Garden-style buildings around a lagoon on the island’s north end, with a pool and a gym. Pets welcome.
Apartments Near Downtown Hilton Head
Hilton Head has no traditional downtown. The two places people mean are Coligny, by the beach on the south end, and Shelter Cove in the middle of the island. There is no apartment complex at Coligny. At Shelter Cove, WaterWalk has one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments on Broad Creek beside the Towne Centre’s shops and restaurants, a walk from the harbour, which makes it the closest the island comes to a downtown apartment. The other complexes are mostly on the north end.
Income-Restricted and Workforce Housing
Section 8 housing on the north end: every apartment is income-restricted, and tenants pay 30 percent of their income as rent.
Workforce housing for households who work full time on the island, with income limits from 60 to 150 percent of the area median. Pre-leasing starts in the fall of 2026.
For a housing voucher, start with the Beaufort Housing Authority, which runs the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program for the island from its office at 8 Southwood Park Drive, (843) 681-5309.
A Rental-House Community
A gated community of rental houses along the marsh on the north end, built in 2003.
Before You Rent an Apartment on Hilton Head
Expect to pay more than the rent on day one: an application fee, an administration fee and a deposit, and at some complexes monthly fees for pets, pest control or technology. Ask for the total monthly cost before you compare two places, and ask whether water, sewer and trash are included; three public service districts supply the island’s water and sewer, so the bill depends on where you live.
For a house, villa or condo by the year instead, see Hilton Head long term rentals: the island’s long-term rentals mostly come through local property managers. For more complexes, see Bluffton apartments for rent, and for a stay of days or weeks rather than a lease, Hilton Head vacation rentals.
Hilton Head long term rentals: houses, villas and condos for rent by the year, the local companies that rent them, and what to ask before you sign.
Apartments in Bluffton SC by area: twenty complexes near the bridges, Old Town and SC 170, with ratings, bedroom mixes and what to ask before signing.
WaterWalk at Shelter Cove: one- to three-bedroom rental apartments on Broad Creek beside Shelter Cove Towne Centre, with leases of 12 to 36 months.
Search Hilton Head Island homes for sale by price, type or community, see the newest houses and villas listed, and read a guide to each gated community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
Are there apartments on Hilton Head Island?
A few complexes: WaterWalk at Shelter Cove, Aquatera and Marsh Point, plus Hilton Head Gardens (Section 8) and Northpoint on Jarvis Creek, workforce housing opening in early 2027. Most of the area’s apartments are in Bluffton.
Is there affordable or workforce housing on Hilton Head?
Hilton Head Gardens is Section 8 housing, where tenants pay 30 percent of their income. Northpoint on Jarvis Creek is workforce housing for full-time island workers, opening in early 2027. For a voucher, contact the Beaufort Housing Authority.
Which Hilton Head apartments allow pets?
WaterWalk, Aquatera (two pets per home) and Marsh Point all take pets. Expect a pet fee and monthly pet rent.
Can I rent a house instead of an apartment?
Yes. Tidal Bluff rents 30 houses in a gated community on the north end, and the island’s long-term rental managers rent houses, villas and condos by the year.
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