High school teacher · Columbia, SC
High school teacher in Columbia: $932/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median high school teacher wage in Columbia at $60,280 a year. About 3,310 high school teacher jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.22). The 10th percentile is $48,740 and the 90th is $78,010. Pay ranks 297th-highest of 369 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.3× 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 $932 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Albany, about 245 miles away, at $2,125 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$932
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$60,280
$48,740 to $78,010
Rent (1 bd)
$1,157
$1,377 (2 bd)
Employment
3,310
Location quotient 1.22
Pay rank
297th of 369
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
4.3×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, high school teacher pay of $60,280.
- Taxes$997
- Rent$1,157
- Other living costs$1,938
- Left over$932
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $60,280
- Federal income tax
- −$5,195
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,611
- State income tax (SC)
- −$2,155
- Take-home pay
- $48,319
- Effective tax rate
- 19.8%
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
$5,023 gross, minus $997 in tax and $3,095 in living costs.
$932
Rank every metro for a high school teacher
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Albany, $2,125/mo.
High school teacher leftover by city →Best cities for high school teachers to move to →High school teacher nearby
Other jobs in Columbia
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary 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 high school teacher make in Columbia?
$60,280 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 3,310 high school teacher jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a high school teacher in Columbia?
$932 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 4.3× a year of it.
Where nearby would a high school teacher keep more?
Albany, about 245 miles away, leaves $2,125 a month, more than Columbia.