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Columbia, SC Cost of Living Calculator

Prices in the Columbia, SC area are 6.3% below the US average, and housing 20.5% below (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.

Prices in an average US city are 6.7% higher than in Columbia, SC, so $75,000 in Columbia, SC buys what $80,043 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$80,043
Prices overall
+6.7%
Housing costs
+25.8%

Columbia, SC price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items93.76.3% below
Housing79.520.5% below
Goods96.33.7% below
Utilities88.311.7% below
Other services98.31.7% below

What $75,000 in Columbia, SC equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
New York, NY$90,12820.2%
Los Angeles, CA$90,92821.2%
Chicago, IL$82,92410.6%
Dallas, TX$82,52410.0%
Houston, TX$78,9225.2%
Washington, DC$87,16616.2%
Philadelphia, PA$82,1249.5%
Atlanta, GA$80,1236.8%
Miami, FL$91,40921.9%
Phoenix, AZ$82,68410.2%

How this calculator works

BEA regional price parities for the Columbia, SC metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

Questions people ask

Is Columbia expensive to live in?

Overall prices are 6.3% below the US average; housing is 20.5% below.

What salary do I need in Columbia, SC?

To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $70,275. The area's median household income is $68,359.

How much is rent in Columbia, SC?

The median gross rent (including utilities) is $1,193 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

How does Columbia, SC compare with New York?

New York prices are 20.2% relative to Columbia, SC: $75,000 here equals $90,128 there.

Nearby and large metro areas

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • Columbia, SC Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the Columbia, SC area is $1,193 a month including utilities, which takes 21% of the median household income ($68,359). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $47,720 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.