Software developer · Columbia, SC
Software developer in Columbia: $4,323/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median software developer wage in Columbia at $123,380 a year. About 2,070 software developer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.48). The 10th percentile is $70,950 and the 90th is $172,460. Pay ranks 157th-highest of 375 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 8.9× 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 $4,323 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Rocky Mount, about 224 miles away, at $5,224 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$4,323
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$123,380
$70,950 to $172,460
Rent (1 bd)
$1,157
$1,377 (2 bd)
Employment
2,070
Location quotient 0.48
Pay rank
157th of 375
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
8.9×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, software developer pay of $123,380.
- Taxes$2,864
- Rent$1,157
- Other living costs$1,938
- Left over$4,323
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $123,380
- Federal income tax
- −$18,858
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$9,439
- State income tax (SC)
- −$6,067
- Take-home pay
- $89,016
- Effective tax rate
- 27.9%
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
$10,282 gross, minus $2,864 in tax and $3,095 in living costs.
$4,323
Rank every metro for a software developer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Rocky Mount, $5,224/mo.
Software developer leftover by city →Best cities for software developers to move to →Software developer nearby
Other jobs in Columbia
- Registered nurse
- 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
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a software developer make in Columbia?
$123,380 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 2,070 software developer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a software developer in Columbia?
$4,323 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 8.9× a year of it.
Where nearby would a software developer keep more?
Rocky Mount, about 224 miles away, leaves $5,224 a month, more than Columbia.