Cost of living in Charleston, SC
The Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area (869,940 people) ranks #48 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Charleston with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Charleston to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from New York, NY, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Charleston: $81,700
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,700 in Charleston, SC to match $100,000 in New York, NY ($18,300 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses New York and South Carolina state income tax; includes New York City resident tax $3,441 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Charleston
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Charleston
On a $90,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $68,493 after 2026 federal tax ($10,970), Social Security and Medicare ($6,885) and South Carolina income tax ($3,652).
Housing
| Measure | Charleston area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,714/mo |
| Median home value | $430,300 |
| Median property tax | $1,787/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,544 |
| Median household income | $90,307 |
Climate and jobs in Charleston
In the Charleston area the average January low is 39°F and the average July high 91°F, and the area has about 64 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.8% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $49,150 a year, 4% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 39°F |
| July high | 91°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 64 a year |
| Precipitation | 53 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0.3 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $49,150 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 394,170 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Charleston International Airport station (USW00013880). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Charleston
A single retiree spends about $3,032 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,304 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Charleston
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Charleston area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 96.5 of 100), with expected losses of about $1,113 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in South Carolina.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Charleston?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $80,100 in Charleston. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $68,560, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $109,019.
Is Charleston expensive?
The Charleston metro area's price level is 101.0 (U.S. = 100), #48 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 119.8, 20% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Charleston?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Charleston had a net gain of about 4,112 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Charleston?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Charleston area (Charleston International Airport weather station), the average January low is 39°F and the average July high 91°F. The area has about 64 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 53 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Charleston?
The Charleston metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.8% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $49,150 a year in May 2025, 4% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Charleston?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 96.5). The highest relative risks are hurricane, earthquake, ice storm.
Compare Charleston with other cities
Moving to Charleston from…
Cities with similar prices
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Moving from South Carolina