Overall
101.0
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Cost-of-living indicators for Charleston-North Charleston, SC, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 101.0
- Overall RPP
- #68
- of 387 metros
- 119.8
- Rents RPP
- $99K
- $100K national buys
Charleston ranks #68 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 3.5 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Burlington-South Burlington
The verdict
Charleston is more expensive than 82% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 101.0, 1.0% above the national average, led by rents at 119.8.
- top 18%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $99,047 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $100,962.
Charleston vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
101 Top 18% higher than 82% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Charleston cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
119.8 RPP
- Services
Services
88.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
101 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Charleston's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 119.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 88.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Charleston's cost comes from
Metros near Charleston's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Charleston (Charleston, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 119.8
- Burlington: goods RPP 97.3, rents RPP 103.8
- Reno: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 123.5
- Tampa: goods RPP 95.5, rents RPP 125.8
- Bakersfield: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 90.3
- Ann Arbor: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 125.3
- Salt Lake City: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 123.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
88.2
Cheap
Rents
119.8
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Charleston's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Charleston: rents index at 119.8, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 101.0 places Charleston in the upper 25% by overall cost; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, Reno, NV, Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV. They resemble Charleston across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Charleston's overall index has risen by 3.5 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$100,962
in Charleston-North Charleston, SC purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,481
$75,000 nationally
$75,722
$125,000 nationally
$126,203
$150,000 nationally
$151,443
$200,000 nationally
$201,924
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
11/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
11th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Charleston's overall RPP fell -0.1 points, from 101.1 in 2023 to 101.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 123.4 to 119.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 3.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2023, when the index jumped 2.0 points from the year before.
Charleston overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.4 |
| 2009 | 97.3 |
| 2010 | 97.8 |
| 2011 | 99.4 |
| 2012 | 100.3 |
| 2013 | 99.6 |
| 2014 | 99.8 |
| 2015 | 100.1 |
| 2016 | 99.7 |
| 2017 | 99.2 |
| 2018 | 98.3 |
| 2019 | 98.2 |
| 2020 | 98.0 |
| 2021 | 99.2 |
| 2022 | 99.1 |
| 2023 | 101.1 |
| 2024 | 101.0 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Charleston's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.2 · Rents 123.4 Reno, NV
Goods 96.3 · Services 89.3 · Rents 123.5 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
Goods 96.3 · Services 90.6 · Rents 115.5 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
Goods 95.0 · Services 93.3 · Rents 121.2 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 86.9 · Rents 125.1 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 82.2 · Rents 120.6
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Charleston-North Charleston, SC's index of 101.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
SC-relative analysis
Goods prices places Charleston-North Charleston, SC near the bottom of SC's metros
Among the 8 SC metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Charleston-North Charleston, SC ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Charleston-North Charleston, SC only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 8
0th percentile in SC
Services prices
#4 of 8
50th percentile in SC
Rent prices
#1 of 8
88th percentile in SC
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within SC only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Charleston-North Charleston, SC: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (101.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (119.8 here).
Other SC Metros
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 98.0 Columbia, SC 93.7 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 93.3 Spartanburg, SC 91.1 Sumter, SC 88.0
View all SC metros → Cheapest in SC → Most expensive in SC →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Charleston
How to read Charleston's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $99,047 in Charleston. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 119.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Charleston head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
Charleston-North Charleston, SC has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 101.0, meaning it is 1.0% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 88.2, and rents at 119.8. It ranks #68 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Charleston-North Charleston, SC to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $100,962 in Charleston-North Charleston, SC. Conversely, $100K earned in Charleston-North Charleston, SC has the purchasing power of $99,047 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
Rents in Charleston-North Charleston, SC are indexed at 119.8, which is 19.8% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Charleston-North Charleston, SC getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Charleston-North Charleston, SC's overall cost index changed by +3.5 points (from 97.4 to 101.0). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
The priciest category in Charleston-North Charleston, SC is rents at 119.8, 19.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 88.2, 11.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Burlington-South Burlington, Reno, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Charleston-North Charleston, SC's 101.0.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.