Civil engineer · Columbia, SC
Civil engineer in Columbia: $2,789/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median civil engineer wage in Columbia at $94,520 a year. About 1,070 civil engineer jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.14). The 10th percentile is $66,490 and the 90th is $147,430. Pay ranks 227th-highest of 368 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 6.8× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,157/mo). South Carolina taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,789 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Morristown, about 193 miles away, at $3,525 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$2,789
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$94,520
$66,490 to $147,430
Rent (1 bd)
$1,157
$1,377 (2 bd)
Employment
1,070
Location quotient 1.14
Pay rank
227th of 368
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
6.8×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, civil engineer pay of $94,520.
- Taxes$1,993
- Rent$1,157
- Other living costs$1,938
- Left over$2,789
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $94,520
- Federal income tax
- −$12,408
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$7,231
- State income tax (SC)
- −$4,278
- Take-home pay
- $70,603
- Effective tax rate
- 25.3%
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
Left over each month
$7,877 gross, minus $1,993 in tax and $3,095 in living costs.
$2,789
Rank every metro for a civil engineer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Morristown, $3,525/mo.
Civil engineer leftover by city →Best cities for civil engineers to move to →Civil engineer nearby
Other jobs in Columbia
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a civil engineer make in Columbia?
$94,520 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,070 civil engineer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a civil engineer in Columbia?
$2,789 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. South Carolina taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,157, and pay covers 6.8× a year of it.
Where nearby would a civil engineer keep more?
Morristown, about 193 miles away, leaves $3,525 a month, more than Columbia.