Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost in Myrtle Beach, SC
A real assessment before the number, a written price before anything opens, and a permit filed as part of the job.
How much does a panel upgrade cost in Myrtle Beach, SC?
A 100-amp to 200-amp panel upgrade typically runs $1,800 to $4,800 in Myrtle Beach. That's one job out of eight in this pack, though, and the other seven range from $175 for a documented inspection up to $6,500 for a full relocation.
The right question usually isn't 'what does a panel upgrade cost' in the abstract. It's which of these eight jobs actually applies to your situation, since the price and the reason for doing it are different for each one.
Cost by Job Type
| Service | Typical range | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| 200 amp panel upgrade | $1,800–$4,800 | Adding capacity for an EV charger, generator or major appliance |
| Breaker box replacement | $1,500–$4,200 | A panel that's old, damaged or corroded, regardless of amperage |
| Fuse box to breaker box conversion | $2,200–$4,800 | Replacing screw-in fuses with modern breakers, plus meter and grounding updates |
| Federal Pacific / Zinsco replacement | $1,800–$4,800 | A named-brand breaker-reliability issue, priced same as amperage-based replacement |
| Sub panel installation | $900–$6,000 | New local capacity for a garage, workshop, addition or rental unit |
| Meter base replacement | $250–$2,600 | Corroded, damaged or utility-flagged meter can, mast or weatherhead |
| Electrical panel relocation | $2,200–$6,500 | Moving the panel for a remodel, clearance issue, or HOA exterior rule |
| Electrical panel inspection | $175–$375 | A documented, written finding, with or without a replacement recommendation |
Ranges reflect typical Grand Strand jobs. A short site visit and load calculation turns any of these into a real number for your specific home.
What a Load Calculation Actually Measures
A load calculation adds up your home's general lighting and receptacle load (based on square footage), the nameplate load of major appliances (range, dryer, water heater, HVAC), and any planned additions (EV charger, generator, hot tub), then applies the demand factors the electrical code allows for loads that don't all run at once.
That total gets compared against what your existing panel can safely carry, which is why two nearly identical houses can land on different recommendations: one with gas heat and modest appliances might genuinely be fine at 100 amps, while an all-electric neighbor with a heat pump, an EV charger and an electric water heater needs the headroom a 200-amp panel provides.
A rule of thumb ('just get 200 amps, everyone does') skips this math entirely. It's not wrong often enough to be dangerous, but it also isn't free: it can mean paying for capacity you'll never use, or worse, assuming 200 amps covers a load that actually needs a 400-amp evaluation.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
Panel location and access matter more than most homeowners expect. A panel in an easily reached garage or basement wall is a faster, cheaper job than one buried behind finished storage or requiring exterior work to reach.
Utility involvement is the biggest wildcard across every service in this pack. If the service line, meter base or weatherhead needs work, that's not just added material cost; it's the utility's own crew schedule setting part of the timeline, which the electrician doesn't control.
Coastal exposure is a real, honest cost factor in this market. Exposed outdoor equipment within a mile or two of the ocean corrodes faster than the same equipment inland, which shows up most on meter base and service-entrance jobs in Garden City, Cherry Grove and similar oceanfront areas — ask what an electrician is actually seeing on your street rather than assuming from the zip code alone.
Permit fees vary by jurisdiction across this market's separate desks (City of Myrtle Beach, Horry County, City of Conway, City of North Myrtle Beach) and are usually a real but minor part of the total, typically built into the quoted price.
When a Smaller Repair Beats a Full Replacement
| Situation | Right move | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| One breaker failed, panel otherwise sound | Replace the single breaker | $150–$350 |
| Loose connection causing one circuit's trips | Diagnostic repair, not a panel change | $150–$550 |
| Weatherhead damaged, meter base otherwise fine | Weatherhead repair only | $250–$650 |
| Panel is out of amperage headroom | Full 200-amp panel upgrade | $1,800–$4,800 |
| Panel is a Federal Pacific or Zinsco brand | Full panel replacement, regardless of current amperage need | $1,800–$4,800 |
An electrician should be able to tell you within one visit which row your situation falls into. If a quote jumps straight to 'replace everything' without explaining why, ask what specifically was found.
Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost in Myrtle Beach, SC — questions
A 100-amp to 200-amp upgrade typically runs $1,800 to $4,800. Other panel-related jobs in this pack range from $175 for a documented inspection to $6,500 for a full relocation.
Usually yes. The permit fee is typically built into the quoted total across every service in this pack, though it's worth confirming on your specific quote since fees vary by jurisdiction.
Salt air corrodes exposed outdoor equipment (meter bases, service masts, weatherheads) faster within a mile or two of the ocean than it does inland. That shows up most on meter base and service-entrance jobs in areas like Garden City and Cherry Grove, less so on interior panel swaps.
It can be, if your current panel is a known-risk brand like Federal Pacific or Zinsco, or it's already showing strain: frequent trips, warmth, buzzing. If none of that applies and you have no planned additions, there's less urgency, and a documented inspection is a cheaper way to find out for sure.
A documented electrical panel inspection ($175–$375) is the cheapest way to get a real, written answer instead of guessing based on the panel's age or brand alone.
Licensed, insured panel upgrades, breaker box replacement and meter base work for Myrtle Beach and Horry County.
- 01Licensed & insuredEvery job is performed by a licensed, insured electrician working to South Carolina electrical code.
- 02Fixed written pricingThe number you see after the load calculation is the number you pay. It doesn't move once the panel's open.
- 03Permits handledThe permit gets filed and the inspection gets scheduled as part of the job, not left for you to arrange.
- 04One focused serviceThis is a panel-focused practice, not a full-service electrical shop. That means less guessing on this one job type, not more upsell.
Request a quote
Tell us what your panel looks like now (age, brand if you know it, any breaker trouble) and we'll call back with next steps.
Ready for a written price?
A load calculation and site visit turns any of these ranges into a real number. Book one before budgeting off a national average.