Cost of living in North Charleston, South Carolina

North Charleston, South Carolina has about 119,913 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $302,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Charleston County is $1,884 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in North Charleston. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area, prices sit at 101.0 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

South Carolina taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not North Charleston's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical South Carolina home paid 15.47¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not North Charleston's bill.

EIA does not publish a South Carolina gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in South Carolina shares this price.

Among 246 places we list in South Carolina with a rent figure, 30 have higher typical rent than North Charleston.