Cost of Living in Greenville, South Carolina
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Greenville, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 75,310
- Median household income
- $81,573
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 93.3
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
Is Greenville a good place to live?
Greenville is one of the pricier places for a typical paycheck: a typical worker keeps less here than in 157 of 178 other large cities. Higher earners do better.
A typical worker in Greenville keeps $1,145 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job
- Cost of living7% below the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$1,640 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- Taxes$1,638 of state income tax on a typical wage
Cost of living in Greenville
Prices in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC area run 7% below the US average. Housing is the biggest difference, at 23% below the US average.
- Housing23% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)4% below the US average
- Utilities11% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)2% below the US average
- All items7% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,640 | $19,680 |
| Food | $476 | $5,712 |
| Transportation | $376 | $4,512 |
| Healthcare | $346 | $4,152 |
| Utilities | $231 | $2,772 |
| Total before taxes | $3,069 | $36,828 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Greenville | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,573 | $1,329 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,640 | $1,384 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,786 | $1,507 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,131 | $1,801 |
| 4 bedrooms | $2,520 | $2,124 |
Living in Greenville
How Greenville compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Greenville | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $81,573 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $553,700 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,404 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 56.5% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 14.4% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 58.4% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 35.8 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 18.2 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 15.9% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 0.6% | 3.7% |
The 1-year survey doesn’t publish commuting method for Greenville, so those figures come from the 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Home internet
5 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Greenville, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. Fiber reaches 57.7% of homes and 60.5% can get gigabit speeds.
Pros and cons of living in Greenville
Pros
- Shorter commutes. The average one-way commute is 18.2 minutes, against 27.2 nationally.
- Lower cost of living. Prices are 7% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Highly educated workforce. 58.4% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 36.9% nationally.
Cons
- Paychecks don't stretch far. A typical worker keeps $1,145 a year, less than in 157 of 178 large cities.
- Pricey homes to buy. The median home is worth $553,700, against $360,600 nationally.
What your job keeps in Greenville
Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
- Typical salary
- $46,580
- Federal income tax
- −$3,410
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,563
- State income tax
- −$1,638
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$19,680
- Everyday costs
- −$17,144
a year, or $95 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.
What the most common jobs keep here
The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Software engineer | $121,790 | $51,535 |
| Project manager | $94,780 | $34,153 |
| Registered nurse | $81,400 | $25,544 |
| Accountant | $76,870 | $22,629 |
| Teacher | $61,224 | $12,033 |
| Police officer | $57,780 | $9,472 |
| Truck driver | $53,080 | $5,977 |
| Auto mechanic | $48,120 | $2,291 |
| Medical assistant | $44,860 | −$134 |
| Nursing assistant | $37,220 | −$5,813 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Greenville on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Carpenter $3,755
- Civil engineer $39,334
- Data scientist $32,037
- Dental assistant $2,000
- Dental hygienist $28,047
- Dentist $62,852
- Diesel mechanic $9,992
- Electrician $11,279
- Financial analyst $30,460
- Firefighter −$3,762
- HVAC technician $10,201
- Lawyer $53,518
- Licensed practical nurse $12,581
- Lineman $23,163
- Mechanical engineer $38,524
- Nurse practitioner $49,919
- Occupational therapist $39,019
- Paralegal $9,472
- Paramedic $6,327
- Pharmacist $60,133
- Pharmacy technician $409
- Physical therapist $38,170
- Physician assistant $52,483
- Plumber $4,350
- Radiologic technologist $17,371
- Respiratory therapist $23,607
- Social worker $7,545
- Speech-language pathologist $30,183
- Veterinarian $52,863
- Welder $3,041
Compare Greenville with other cities
Compare Greenville with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Greenville
9 licensed interstate movers are based in Greenville, and 14 more elsewhere in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Greenville, SC a good place to live?
Greenville is one of the pricier places for a typical paycheck: a typical worker keeps less here than in 157 of 178 other large cities. Higher earners do better. The typical worker here earns $46,580 and keeps $1,145 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
What is the cost of living in Greenville?
Prices in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC area are 7% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $1,640 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,429 a month.
How much do you need to earn to live in Greenville?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $45,100 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC area earns $46,580.
What is the average rent in Greenville?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $1,573 for a studio, $1,640 for a 1-bedroom and $1,786 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Greenville at $1,404 a month (2024).
Does Greenville have a state or city income tax?
Yes. On a typical wage of $46,580, South Carolina state income tax comes to about $1,638 a year. Greenville has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Greenville?
5 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Greenville, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. 57.7% of homes can get fiber and 60.5% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).
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, Vintage 2025 population estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, metropolitan area estimates
- HUD Small Area 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 MSA, 2024
- FCC National Broadband Map, fixed broadband availability (data as of December 31, 2025, released 2026-09-29)
- FMCSA Carrier - All With History (operating authority and insurance)
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate