Cost of Living in Charleston, 🇺🇸 United States - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Jun 8, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,200 $1,600 $2,100 $950 $130

Utilities — $180 $250 $150 —

Internet & Mobile $80 $90 $120 $70 $5

Groceries $100 $400 $900 $350 —

Transportation $80 $100 $250 $60 $25

Dining Out $900 $350 $400 $120 $80

Leisure Activities $200 $150 $300 $50 $40

Health Insurance $80 $200 $600 $100 $10

Visa & Legal Fees — $50 $100 — —

Total $3,640 $3,120 $5,020 $1,850 $290

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,450.00 per month

Coworking Space $275.00 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $1,800.00 per month

Coliving Space $950.00 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $5.00 per cup

Beer $6.00 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $15.00 per meal

Fast Food Combo $9.50 per meal

Apples $2.50 per kg

Milk $3.20 per liter

Rice $2.20 per kg

Chicken Fillets $6.50 per kg

Beef $8.00 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $15.00 per bottle

Water (1.5L bottle) $1.50 per bottle

Bread $3.50 per loaf

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $65.00 per meal

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.50 per trip

Taxi per km $1.80 per km

Ride-hailing (5km) $12.00 per trip

Scooter Rental $25.00 per month

Monthly Transport Pass $55.00 per month

Gasoline $3.30 per liter

Services

Mobile Plan $55.00 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $65.00 per month

Gym Membership $40.00 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $15.00 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $10.00 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $12.00 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $50.00 per pair

Summer Dress $40.00 per dress

Running Shoes $90.00 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $25.00 per visit

Laundry $10.00 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $120.00 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $10.00 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Jun 8, 2026
Generated by: deepseek-v4-flash · cost run 44
Last changed: None yet

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Charleston cost of living