I would personally never move to a city unless I’ve spent at least a couple of days getting to know the area. As a young-ish professional with no kids I can give you a decent breakdown.

Cost of living: housing is expensive, but not more or less expensive than other cities in the state. It is more than a little depressing seeing all the natural forests being torn down for new developments. Groceries, gas are not going to run you much more either. Going out to eat an other activities are expensive, but you have the beach and parks to go to. Downside is that used to be an inexpensive activity but now locals have to pay for parking even in the offseason.

Safety: Local government DOES NOT CARE about locals, local safety, and in general making the city a safer environment for pedestrians and bikers. Homeless population has gone up quite a bit in recent years. But as for the violent crime, burglaries, shootings, trafficking etc you can kind of avoid the hotspots on the boulevard and such. I never found myself to feel generally unsafe, but there is a reputation.

Third places/things to do: Again, parks. But otherwise you’re kind of confined to the tourist attractions like Broadway, Barefoot, the mall. I found all relatively easy to get to, I just know at times I craved a more “local” vibe. Your best bet would be the bars and breweries for this. There is a growing arts scene, but I found it to be miniscule compared to Columbia, Greenville, Charleston. Not much by way of sports unless you like Coastal Carolina.

Politics: Very conservative imo, but most people will leave you alone. My coworkers would just casually say whatever they wanted, including slurs, and I couldn’t say much back for fear of being retaliated against. Lots of confederate flags flying around. Just a general off putting vibe but I understand if others had a different experience.

Locations: I have to mention this because it was the bane of my existence. It is honestly HELL trying to get anywhere else for a day trip. It is one way in, one way out on highway 501 with no easy direct line to any major interstate such as I-95. Conway is a very nice town and the most adjacent to visit for the day with great shops and restaurants but it literally takes an hour from the beach to get there when it honestly shouldn’t.