Cost of living in Columbia, SC
The Columbia, SC metro area (871,176 people) ranks #109 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 Columbia with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Columbia to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Charlotte, NC, 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 Columbia: $81,900
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,900 in Columbia, SC to match $85,000 in Charlotte, NC ($3,100 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses North Carolina and South Carolina state income tax; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Columbia
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Columbia
On a $70,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $55,749 after 2026 federal tax ($6,570), Social Security and Medicare ($5,355) and South Carolina income tax ($2,326).
Housing
| Measure | Columbia area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,257/mo |
| Median home value | $270,400 |
| Median property tax | $1,325/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,659 |
| Median household income | $70,788 |
Climate and jobs in Columbia
In the Columbia area the average January low is 35°F and the average July high 93°F, and the area has about 81 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.3% in 2025, the same as the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $46,430 a year, 9% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 35°F |
| July high | 93°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 81 a year |
| Precipitation | 45 in a year |
| Snowfall | 1.2 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $46,430 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 394,200 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Columbia station (USW00013883). 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 Columbia
A single retiree spends about $2,939 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,792 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 Columbia
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Columbia area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 86.5 of 100), with expected losses of about $353 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 Columbia?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $73,100 in Columbia. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $50,280, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $71,079.
Is Columbia expensive?
The Columbia metro area's price level is 93.7 (U.S. = 100), #109 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 79.5, 20% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Columbia?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Columbia had a net gain of about 248 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Columbia?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Columbia area (Columbia weather station), the average January low is 35°F and the average July high 93°F. The area has about 81 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 45 inches of precipitation a year and about 1.2 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Columbia?
The Columbia metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.3% in 2025, the same as the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $46,430 a year in May 2025, 9% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Columbia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 86.5). The highest relative risks are ice storm, tornado, hurricane.
Compare Columbia with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Moving from South Carolina