Registered nurse · Columbia, SC

Registered nurse in Columbia: $2,115/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median registered nurse wage in Columbia at $81,920 a year. About 9,400 registered nurse jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.10). The 10th percentile is $68,460 and the 90th is $108,210. Pay ranks 245th-highest of 374 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.9× 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 $2,115 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Atlanta, about 194 miles away, at $2,807 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$2,115

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$81,920

$68,460 to $108,210

Rent (1 bd)

$1,157

$1,377 (2 bd)

Employment

9,400

Location quotient 1.10

Pay rank

245th of 374

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

5.9×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, registered nurse pay of $81,920.

Taxes$1,617
Rent$1,157
Other living costs$1,938
Left over$2,115

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $81,920
Federal income tax: −$9,636
Social Security and Medicare: −$6,267
State income tax (SC): −$3,496
Take-home pay: $62,520
Effective tax rate: 23.7%

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

$6,827 gross, minus $1,617 in tax and $3,095 in living costs.

$2,115

Rank every metro for a registered nurse

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Atlanta, $2,807/mo.

Registered nurse leftover by city →Best cities for nurses to move to →

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Questions

What does a registered nurse make in Columbia?

$81,920 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 9,400 registered nurse jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a registered nurse in Columbia?

$2,115 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 5.9× a year of it.

Where nearby would a registered nurse keep more?

Atlanta, about 194 miles away, leaves $2,807 a month, more than Columbia.