Columbia

Cost of Living in Columbia, SC (2026): Rent, Utilities & Take-Home

$2,249 left/mo

Photo: Akhenaton06 / Wikimedia

$3,095/mo in Columbia. $2,249 left each month. Prices near the US average.

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Monthly costs

Take-home $5,344/mo.

Taxes$1,634
Rent$1,157
Other$1,938
Left$2,249

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $83,730
Federal income tax: −$9,591
Social Security and Medicare: −$6,405
State income tax (SC): −$3,609
Take-home pay: $64,125
Effective tax rate: 23.4%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $1,157
Groceries: $384
Getting around: $546
Healthcare: $432
Utilities and internet: $240
Everything else: $336
Total spending: $3,095

After tax and rent

$2,249 left/mo

Stats

Rent: $1,377; 2 bd median
Take-home: $5,344; Per month
Tax: 23%; Of pay
Prices: 4% below; US, besides rent

Average electric bill in South Carolina

About $136 a month for a household using 900 kWh. That is the EIA residential price for South Carolina in 2025, 15.12¢ per kWh. It is a state average, not a Columbia utility bill, and the utilities line in the monthly costs above already includes a modelled power cost.

Moving from Columbia

Moving from Columbia to Greenville