Charleston, SC Cost of Living (2026)

Compare Charleston's cost of living with other US cities. See how much salary you need to maintain your lifestyle.

Compare Cities

$

Your current salary

Charleston Equivalent Salary

Annual Salary Needed

$75,470.71

Current Salary

$75,000.00

Difference

$470.71

Percent Change

$0.63

📈 You would need 0.6% more to maintain your lifestyle

Housing

-$775

Groceries

$6,079

Transport

-$79

Healthcare

-$12,126

Cost of Living Index Comparison (US Average = 100)

Austin

95.6

Charleston

96.2

Charleston Cost of Living Profile

Overall COL Index

96.2

vs US avg = 100

Housing Index

95.8

(Most volatile)

Population

150,227

Groceries

102.7

Transportation

94.9

Healthcare

75.7

Median Household Income: $70,000

Cities with Similar Cost of Living

Fort Worth, TX

COL Index: 95.9

vs Charleston

-0.3%

Albuquerque, NM

COL Index: 96.8

vs Charleston

0.6%

Austin, TX

COL Index: 95.6

vs Charleston

-0.6%

Las Vegas, NV

COL Index: 95.5

vs Charleston

-0.7%

Cincinnati, OH

COL Index: 96.9

vs Charleston

0.7%

Tampa, FL

COL Index: 97.2

vs Charleston

1.0%

Cost of living data last updated: April 2026