Salaries in Charleston.

3,445 roles. One city.

Cost-of-living index: 0.98x national average. Last updated August 2026.

3,445 roles tracked

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Highest Paying

$330,000

Senior VP of Product

Median of All Roles

$136,000

DeFi Engineer

Entry Level

$32,000

Hotel Clerk / Front Desk

The salary figures on this page are computed estimates, not observed wages. Each one is a national role baseline scaled by a Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity cost-of-living multiplier (2025 index) and rounded to the nearest $1,000. No published wage percentile is consulted and no wage survey response enters the calculation, so an Orbyt estimate must not be cited as a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure or as measured pay. The published wage data Orbyt holds is Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application filings, which record a filed minimum visa base wage rather than market pay. Where BLS publishes a wage for the occupation a role maps to, it is shown on that role's page as a separate benchmark, labelled with its occupation code, metro area and the number of employed workers it covers. Last updated August 2026.

Charleston, SC has a cost-of-living index of 0.98x the national average. The highest-paying role is Senior VP of Product at $330,000, while the median across all 3,445 roles is $136,000. Charleston is one of the South's fastest growing tech hubs, with Boeing, Volvo, and a wave of software companies establishing operations.

About the Charleston market

Charleston is one of the South's fastest growing tech hubs, with Boeing, Volvo, and a wave of software companies establishing operations. The city's port drives significant logistics employment. Charleston's quality of life, moderate costs, and growing tech scene attract relocating professionals from across the country.

Aerospace & ManufacturingTechnologyPort & LogisticsTourismHealthcare

Top 50 salaries in Charleston

#	Role	Median	Range
1	Senior VP of Product	$330,000	$257,000 – $429,000
2	SVP of Technology	$324,000	$275,000 – $421,000
3	SVP of AI Innovation	$321,000	$272,000 – $417,000
4	SVP of Product	$321,000	$272,000 – $417,000
5	Senior VP of Security	$320,000	$272,000 – $416,000
6	Chief Security Officer	$320,000	$249,000 – $416,000
7	SVP of Finance	$315,000	$268,000 – $409,000
8	SVP of Engineering	$314,000	$267,000 – $408,000
9	SVP of Data	$314,000	$267,000 – $408,000
10	Chief Strategy Officer	$310,000	$242,000 – $403,000
11	VP of Infrastructure	$309,000	$263,000 – $402,000
12	VP of Privacy	$309,000	$263,000 – $402,000
13	VP of Data	$309,000	$263,000 – $402,000
14	VP of Quality	$309,000	$263,000 – $402,000
15	VP of Site Reliability Engineering	$309,000	$263,000 – $402,000
16	Chief Science Officer	$307,000	$240,000 – $399,000
17	VP of Engineering	$306,000	$260,000 – $398,000
18	VP of AI Engineering	$306,000	$260,000 – $398,000
19	VP of Network Engineering	$306,000	$260,000 – $398,000
20	VP of Cybersecurity	$306,000	$260,000 – $398,000
21	VP of AI	$303,000	$258,000 – $394,000
22	VP of Machine Learning	$303,000	$258,000 – $394,000
23	VP of Platform Engineering	$303,000	$258,000 – $394,000
24	VP of Developer Experience	$303,000	$258,000 – $394,000
25	Chief Legal Officer	$303,000	$236,000 – $394,000
26	VP of Field Engineering	$303,000	$258,000 – $394,000
27	Chief AI Officer	$301,000	$223,000 – $388,000
28	Senior Head of Security	$301,000	$256,000 – $391,000
29	VP of AI Product	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
30	VP of Data Science	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
31	VP of IT	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
32	VP of Mobile	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
33	VP of Partner Engineering	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
34	VP of Security Engineering	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
35	VP of Application Engineering	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
36	Senior VP of Design	$298,000	$233,000 – $387,000
37	Chief Machine Learning Officer	$297,000	$232,000 – $386,000
38	VP of Information Technology	$297,000	$253,000 – $386,000
39	VP of Technical Support	$297,000	$253,000 – $386,000
40	Chief Commercial Officer	$295,000	$230,000 – $384,000
41	VP of Data Engineering	$294,000	$250,000 – $382,000
42	VP of Security	$294,000	$250,000 – $382,000
43	Chief Architect	$294,000	$250,000 – $382,000
44	VP of Information Security	$294,000	$250,000 – $382,000
45	VP of Solutions Engineering	$294,000	$250,000 – $382,000
46	Chief Growth Officer	$293,000	$228,000 – $381,000
47	Chief Design Officer	$292,000	$228,000 – $380,000
48	VP of AI Research	$291,000	$248,000 – $378,000
49	VP of Support Engineering	$291,000	$248,000 – $378,000
50	VP of Reliability Engineering	$291,000	$248,000 – $378,000

Tax considerations

South Carolina's top income tax rate is 6.4%. Charleston has no city income tax. The state rate is moderate, and the affordable cost of living keeps net pay competitive.

Negotiating in Charleston

Highlight the Boeing and Volvo ecosystem when negotiating. Manufacturing and engineering employers in Charleston benchmark against national aerospace pay scales.

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