Cost of Living in South Carolina
What it costs to live in South Carolina, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 5,478,831
- Median household income
- $72,350
- State income tax
- Up to 6%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 93.7
What a typical paycheck keeps in South Carolina
The typical South Carolina worker earns $46,490 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $5,857 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $46,490
- Federal income tax
- −$3,399
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,556
- State income tax
- −$1,632
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$14,916
- Everyday costs
- −$17,130
a year, or $488 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across South Carolina.
Cost of living in South Carolina
Prices across South Carolina run 6% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing20% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)4% below the US average
- Utilities12% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)2% below the US average
- All items6% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,243 | $14,916 |
| Food | $476 | $5,712 |
| Transportation | $376 | $4,512 |
| Healthcare | $346 | $4,152 |
| Utilities | $230 | $2,760 |
| Total before taxes | $2,671 | $32,052 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
South Carolina taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 0% |
| $3,640 | 3% |
| $18,230 | 6% |
Top rate is 6% as published for 2026; a scheduled reversion to 6.2% is not modelled.
Taxes on the median household income
$72,350 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$7,087 |
| Payroll taxes | −$5,535 |
| State income tax | −$3,184 |
| Effective tax rate | 21.9% |
Cities in South Carolina
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each South Carolina city we cover.
What common jobs keep in South Carolina
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Dentist | $158,640 | $79,289 |
| Pharmacist | $135,700 | $64,986 |
| Software engineer | $129,450 | $61,089 |
| Nurse practitioner | $123,290 | $57,248 |
| Physician assistant | $122,490 | $56,750 |
| Veterinarian | $122,130 | $56,525 |
| Lawyer | $120,310 | $55,360 |
| Mechanical engineer | $104,580 | $45,238 |
| Civil engineer | $101,600 | $43,321 |
| Physical therapist | $101,330 | $43,146 |
| Occupational therapist | $101,130 | $43,018 |
| Project manager | $95,040 | $39,099 |
| Financial analyst | $93,670 | $38,218 |
| Data scientist | $91,990 | $37,137 |
| Speech-language pathologist | $90,530 | $36,196 |
Salary pages in South Carolina, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher
- Truck driver
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in South Carolina
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $359,500 |
| Physicians, All Other | $274,480 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $265,480 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $239,200 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $169,040 |
| Chief Executives | $168,840 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $160,860 |
| Dentists, General | $158,640 |
| Marketing Managers | $143,290 |
| Financial Managers | $136,160 |
| Pharmacists | $135,700 |
| Computer Network Architects | $134,990 |
| Sales Managers | $131,080 |
| Database Architects | $130,000 |
| Managers, All Other | $129,960 |
Living in South Carolina
South Carolina against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | South Carolina | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $299,500 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,272 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 13.3% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 33.3% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 26.3 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 12.3% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare South Carolina with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in South Carolina?
Prices in South Carolina are 6% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $1,243 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,428 a month.
Does South Carolina have a state income tax?
Yes. South Carolina's income tax rate is up to 6%. On a typical wage of $46,490, a single filer pays about $1,632 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in South Carolina?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $38,700 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in South Carolina earns $46,490 and keeps $5,857 after those costs.
Where in South Carolina does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the South Carolina cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in Columbia ($5,859 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Charleston ($731 short).
What jobs pay the most in South Carolina?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in South Carolina goes to General Internal Medicine Physicians ($359,500); Physicians, All Other ($274,480); Nurse Anesthetists ($265,480) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate