Civil Engineers salary in Columbia, SC

Median pay for civil engineers in Columbia, SC: $81,970/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $58,910 – $147,310 · about 1,110 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($88,630) by −$6,660 (-8%).

What it's really worth in Columbia

With Columbia's cost of living at 93 (US=100), that $81,970 has the buying power of about $87,929 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $63,471 · median home $256,154 · median rent $1,537/mo.

Full Columbia cost of living & taxes →

How Columbia ranks for this job

On raw pay, Columbia, SC is 138th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Columbia's cost of living is applied, it ranks 128th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Columbia sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Columbia

A median home in Columbia, SC costs $256,154 — about 3.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,537/mo works out at 23% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where civil engineers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Columbia.

Metro	Median pay	vs Columbia	Rent vs Columbia
Sacramento, CA	$125,760	+53%	1.5×
San Francisco, CA	$122,670	+50%	2.1×
San Jose, CA	$119,430	+46%	2.4×
Baton Rouge, LA	$110,110	+34%	0.9×

Same job elsewhere in SC

Metro	Median pay	vs Columbia	Rent vs Columbia
Greenville, SC	$96,050	+17%	1×
Charleston, SC	$88,990	+9%	1.3×
Spartanburg, SC	$80,020	−2%	1×
Myrtle Beach, SC	$69,150	−16%	1.1×

Staying in SC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires civil engineers around Columbia

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• State of South Carolina · Government
• Fort Jackson · Government

Other jobs in Columbia