2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · South Carolina

$15 an Hour in South Carolina — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $15/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $31,200. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and South Carolina state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.64/hr. In South Carolina's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in South Carolina.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,283
Net Monthly
$2,190
Net Hourly
$12.64

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.36 $12.64
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $18.91 $101.09
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $94.56 $505.44
Biweekly $1,200.00 $189.12 $1,010.88
Monthly $2,600.00 $409.77 $2,190.23
Annual $31,200 $4,917 $26,283

Full Tax Breakdown — South Carolina, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $15/hr × 2,080 hrs $31,200
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $15,100
Federal Income Tax 5.0% −$1,564.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$1,934.40
Medicare (1.45%) −$452.40
South Carolina Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
South Carolina State Income Tax 3.1% −$966.40
Total Tax 15.8% effective −$4,917.20
Net Take-Home $26,283

How Does South Carolina Compare?

See how $15/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $422.38 $2,236/mo $26,827 Florida None $2,271/mo $27,249 New York $958.25 $2,191/mo $26,291 Texas None $2,271/mo $27,249 Washington None $2,271/mo $27,249
Open Full Calculator for South Carolina — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$15/hr = $31,200/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$31,200 salary in South Carolina — full breakdown $31,200 after tax in South Carolina $31,200 salary to hourly South Carolina paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in South Carolina

$12/hr in South Carolina$13/hr in South Carolina$14/hr in South Carolina$16/hr in South Carolina$17/hr in South Carolina$18/hr in South Carolina

Same Rate, Other States

$15/hr in Alabama$15/hr in Alaska$15/hr in Arizona$15/hr in Arkansas$15/hr in California$15/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in South Carolina

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in South Carolina
  • Avg 1BR rent in Charleston: $1,050/mo — over the 30% rule (40% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in South Carolina: $36,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,283 ($9,717 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$17.5/hr

Working at $15/hr in South Carolina

South Carolina's manufacturing boom means entry-level wages at BMW or Boeing suppliers are often well above minimum. Columbia and Greenville offer affordable living relative to coastal metros. The 6.4% flat tax is moderate.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 84 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Charleston (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x South Carolina's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in South Carolina is 15.8% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and South Carolina state tax 3.1%.

South Carolina has attracted significant manufacturing investment — BMW, Volvo, Boeing, and Mercedes-Benz Vans all have major facilities here. Charleston's port is growing rapidly. The state also has significant tourism and healthcare sectors.

South Carolina has a flat 6.4% income tax rate (reduced from a graduated system). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

South Carolina follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in South Carolina

Based on $2,190/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for South Carolina's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,050 $12,600 47.9%
Food (groceries + dining) $263 $3,156 12.0%
Transportation $219 $2,628 10.0%
Utilities $131 $1,572 6.0%
Healthcare $110 $1,320 5.0%
Entertainment $110 $1,320 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $219 $2,628 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $88 $1,056 4.0%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in South Carolina

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in South Carolina. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.9%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $90 $4,500
10 hrs/week $225 $180 $9,000
20 hrs/week $450 $361 $18,050

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $15/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $12.64 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3.4 hrs 4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 8 hrs 9.5 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 63.3 hrs
1 month rent (Charleston) $1,050 70 hrs 83.1 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 791.4 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3798.7 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

15 an hour -- is it a good wage in South Carolina?

15/hr in South Carolina gives you $26,283/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in South Carolina. Avg 1BR rent in Charleston: $1,050/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in South Carolina?

15/hr in South Carolina = $26,283/year or $2,190/month net. Effective rate: 15.8%.

How does 15/hr go further -- South Carolina or Texas?

15/hr in South Carolina has similar purchasing power to ~17.5/hr in Texas.

What does 15/hr look like as a monthly budget in South Carolina?

On $2,190/month in South Carolina: rent $1,050, food $263, transport $219, savings $219, surplus ~$88.

How much does overtime add at 15/hr in South Carolina?

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,500/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,000/year.