Nexton vs Cane Bay: Prices, Commute, Taxes Compared

Side by side

Nexton or Cane Bay: which one fits you? compared
	Nexton	Cane Bay
Homes sold	458	839
Median sale price	$464,250	$405,000
Median price per sq ft	$244	$188
Most sold between	$349,000 and $739,000	$300,000 and $534,900
Median days on market	34	35
Townhomes or condos	17% of sales	19% of sales
Where	On I-26 at the Nexton Parkway interchange	Off US 176 (State Road), north of Nexton
Government	Mostly unincorporated Berkeley County	Unincorporated Berkeley County
Size	About 5,000 acres	About 4,500 acres plus the 2,000-acre Wildcat Tract
Signature amenity	Town center with 120+ shops and restaurants, 50+ parks, trails	300-acre lake system with a boat launch, trails
New homes advertised from	$334,990 all-ages; townhomes from $349,990 (Oct. 21, 2026)	$306,900 for townhomes (Oct. 21, 2026)
55+ sections	Del Webb Nexton, Hammock Walk	Del Webb and Four Seasons at Lakes of Cane Bay
Extra on the tax bill	Nexton Improvement District, about $1,005 a year (single-family, 2026-27)	None found; check the tax bill
Resale fee	0.25% Community Enhancement Fund fee	Ask the HOA for the current resale fees
Drive to downtown (no traffic)	About 39 minutes, 27.5 miles	About 49 minutes, 29.8 miles
Drive to the airport (no traffic)	About 26 minutes	About 36 minutes
School district	Berkeley County School District	Berkeley County School District

Sales rows: closed residential sales in the CHS Regional MLS, January 1, 2026 to October 21, 2026, medians, not appraisals. Drive times are from the middle of each community's 2026 home sales, computed on OpenStreetMap roads with no traffic on October 30, 2026. Rush hour on I-26 can add a lot. New home prices are builders' advertised starting prices from my new construction directory.

What does the price gap look like?

Nexton costs more per square foot, and it's not close. In the sales above, the median Nexton home sold for about $56 more per square foot than the median Cane Bay home. On a 2,200-square-foot house, that's roughly $120,000.

Part of that gap is Del Webb Nexton, the gated 55+ section, whose sales in the last year ran at a median of about $610,000. It sits inside the Nexton numbers and pulls them up. Even so, new townhomes start higher in Nexton too: about $349,990 against $306,900 in Cane Bay when I checked builder prices on October 21, 2026. Compare all the 55+ sections side by side on my 55+ communities guide.

Which is the better commute?

Nexton, for almost anything south. It sits on I-26 at the Nexton Parkway interchange, so you're on the interstate in a few minutes. From the middle of Cane Bay, the same trips run about 10 minutes longer with no traffic, because you have to come down US 176 or Nexton Parkway first.

Berkeley County opened the Nexton Parkway extension into Cane Bay in August 2021 as a third way in and out, and it has finished the first phase of widening US 176. In July 2026 it won a $22.5 million federal grant for the next phase, from the Nexton Parkway extension to just past Jedburg Road, with no construction timeline announced yet. If you work north, the gap shrinks: Cane Bay is a few minutes closer to the Google data center at Mount Holly and only about 5 minutes farther from the Volvo plant in Ridgeville. Check your own address with my commute calculator.

Shops and health care or lakes and space?

Nexton was planned around a town center. More than 120 shops, restaurants, a grocery store and offices sit inside the community, mostly around Brighton Park Boulevard and Nexton Parkway, plus trails and more than 50 parks. Health care is coming too: MUSC broke ground in September 2025 on a Nexton medical center and Hollings Cancer Center building, with the cancer center expected in summer 2027 and the hospital in summer 2028.

Cane Bay's centerpiece is water: about 300 acres of lakes with a boat dock, sun pier and a launch for small motorboats, canoes and kayaks. Shopping is mostly a drive out to US 176, Nexton or Summerville, though a 45-acre commercial site is planned where State Road meets a future Fair Winds Boulevard extension.

How do taxes and fees compare?

Both are mostly unincorporated Berkeley County, so neither pays Town of Summerville property tax, despite the Summerville addresses. The visible difference on the tax bill is Nexton's improvement district: about $1,004.74 a year for a single-family home in 2026-27 (townhomes pay 0.6 of that), the same whether the home is taxed at 4% or 6%. Nexton's POA also charges a 0.25% Community Enhancement Fund fee on resales, or $1,125 on a $450,000 home.

I haven't found a county improvement district assessment for Cane Bay, but HOA dues and amenity access vary by section there, and some sections have their own sub-association. For either one, get the tax bill for the specific home and the HOA budget and resale documents before you sign. My Nexton page has a 4% vs 6% tax estimator.

Which one is still growing more?

Both are. Cane Bay had more than 7,000 homes on the ground across its two tracts by late 2023, about half of the plan, and about 10,000 homes are permitted on the main tract alone. Nexton is still adding sections from about a dozen builders, and the Town of Summerville considered annexing about 738 undeveloped Nexton acres before postponing the final vote in January 2026.

In both, expect new phases next to finished streets for years. Ask what's planned on the land behind and beside any lot you look at.

Where I land

If your commute runs down I-26 toward the airport, Boeing or downtown, or you want to walk or bike to dinner, I'd start in Nexton and accept that you'll pay more per square foot for it. If you want the most house for your budget, a lake lot, or you work north toward Moncks Corner, I'd start in Cane Bay.

Either way, look at the specific section, not just the big name. Both communities are really a collection of neighborhoods with different builders, lot sizes, fees and amenity access.

Common questions

Are Nexton and Cane Bay in the Town of Summerville?

Mostly no. Both have Summerville mailing addresses, but both are largely unincorporated Berkeley County, so residents don't pay town property tax. Check the tax district on the county record for any specific home.

Which is cheaper, Nexton or Cane Bay?

Cane Bay, per square foot. In 2026 MLS sales, the median Cane Bay home sold for about $188 a square foot and the median Nexton home for about $244. Nexton's figure includes the Del Webb 55+ section, which sells higher.

Which school district serves Nexton and Cane Bay?

Both are in Berkeley County School District. Assignments go by address and can change, and the district has enrollment caps at Cane Bay Elementary and Cane Bay Middle. Check any address on my school district lookup page, which links the official map.

Do Nexton and Cane Bay have 55+ sections?

Yes. Nexton has Del Webb Nexton and Hammock Walk. Cane Bay has Del Webb and K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons at Lakes of Cane Bay. See them compared on my 55+ communities guide.

Keep reading

Sources

Published October 30, 2026, last checked October 30, 2026. Fees, prices and road projects change, so confirm the current numbers for any specific home before you buy. More answers

Nexton or Cane Bay: which one fits you?