Graphic Designers salary in Charleston, SC

Median pay for graphic designers in Charleston, SC: $49,090/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $27,510 – $75,560 · about 380 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$915 (-2%).

What it's really worth in Charleston

With Charleston's cost of living at 101 (US=100), that $49,090 has the buying power of about $48,557 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $77,460 · median home $435,877 · median rent $2,024/mo.

Full Charleston cost of living & taxes →

How Charleston ranks for this job

On raw pay, Charleston, SC is 113th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Charleston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 159th.

The headline number flatters Charleston. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, graphic designers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Charleston

A median home in Charleston, SC costs $435,877 — about 8.9× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,024/mo works out at 49% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers earn more

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

Metro	Median pay	vs Charleston	Rent vs Charleston
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+96%	1.8×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+88%	1.6×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+63%	1.2×
New York, NY	$75,900	+55%	1.7×

Same job elsewhere in SC

Metro	Median pay	vs Charleston	Rent vs Charleston
Greenville, SC	$50,860	+4%	0.8×
Spartanburg, SC	$47,660	−3%	0.7×
Columbia, SC	$46,960	−4%	0.8×
Myrtle Beach, SC	$45,360	−8%	0.9×

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

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