Pay and cost of living in Charleston County, SC
Across the 7 occupations we cover in Charleston County, SC, the middle median salary is $38,090 a year. Pay runs from $28,500 for Fast Food and Counter Workers up to $92,800 for Registered Nurses, a spread of $64,300. Wages come from the Charleston-North Charleston, SC survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in Charleston County, SC has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,731 a month and a two-bedroom $1,884. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $27,764 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $35,801 a year, and 5 of the 7 occupations listed here (71%) earn enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in Charleston County, SC
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Charleston County, SC, set beside the South Carolina and national medians.
Median household income in Charleston County, SC is $88,494, 28% above the South Carolina median of $69,324 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($20,772) equals 23.5% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $38,090, is 57% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in Charleston County, SC pay a median of $1,901 a year in real estate taxes, 52% above the South Carolina median of $1,251. With a median home value of $489,100, 89% above the South Carolina median of $259,000, the ratio of the two medians is 0.39% a year.
Renters in Charleston County, SC pay a median gross rent of $1,620 a month in the Census survey, 37% above the South Carolina median of $1,180. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $1,731; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in Charleston County, SC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 25.1 minutes each way, 2% below the South Carolina average of 25.6. 17.7% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.