Mechanical engineer · Columbia, SC
Mechanical engineer in Columbia: $3,203/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median mechanical engineer wage in Columbia at $102,280 a year. About 450 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.60). The 10th percentile is $72,120 and the 90th is $150,630. Pay ranks 120th-highest of 345 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 7.4× 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 $3,203 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Augusta, about 69 miles away, at $4,621 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$3,203
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$102,280
$72,120 to $150,630
Rent (1 bd)
$1,157
$1,377 (2 bd)
Employment
450
Location quotient 0.60
Pay rank
120th of 345
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
7.4×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, mechanical engineer pay of $102,280.
- Taxes$2,225
- Rent$1,157
- Other living costs$1,938
- Left over$3,203
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $102,280
- Federal income tax
- −$14,116
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$7,824
- State income tax (SC)
- −$4,759
- Take-home pay
- $75,581
- Effective tax rate
- 26.1%
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
$8,523 gross, minus $2,225 in tax and $3,095 in living costs.
$3,203
Rank every metro for a mechanical engineer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Augusta, $4,621/mo.
Mechanical engineer leftover by city →Best cities for mechanical engineers to move to →Mechanical engineer nearby
Other jobs in Columbia
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
Questions
What does a mechanical engineer make in Columbia?
$102,280 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 450 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a mechanical engineer in Columbia?
$3,203 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 7.4× a year of it.
Where nearby would a mechanical engineer keep more?
Augusta, about 69 miles away, leaves $4,621 a month, more than Columbia.