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Charleston County · South Carolina

Charleston sales tax rate (SC)

South Carolina exempts groceries from the state 6% but local option taxes can still apply, and residents 85 and older may claim a 1% exemption.

Ten dollar bills on a dark surface, illustrating state sales tax rates

Quick answer

The combined sales tax rate in Charleston, SC is 9% as of January 1, 2026 — 6% state + 2% county + 1% special district. On a $100 purchase that is $9 in tax, for a total of $109. South Carolina's statewide base is 6%.

Components estimatedEffective January 1, 2026 · rank 17 of 94 covered metros
Combined rate
9%
State share
6%
Local share
3%County + city + districts
Tax on $100
$9

Calculate Charleston sales tax

Pre-filled with the Charleston combined rate.

Sales tax calculator

The full combined rate of 9% applies to general merchandise.

Enter a pre-tax amount to see the tax due in Charleston, SC.

Pre-tax
$100
Sales tax at 9%
$9
Total
$109

Tax is rounded to the nearest cent on the full transaction, which is how most registers compute it. Line-item rounding can differ by a cent or two on long receipts.

Is 9% high?

Where Charleston sits against the state and the covered-metro median, in points and in dollars.

vs covered median
+1.05 ptsMedian 7.95%
Local share
33%3% of the total
Cost per household
$2,340Per year on $26,000 taxable spend
Jurisdiction layers
3Stacked into the combined rate

9% in Charleston — high. It ranks 17 of 94 covered metros, +1.05 pts against the 7.95% median. On $26,000 of taxable household spending that is $2,340 a year, $273 above it.

Local government sets 3% of the total, 33% of the bill; the state takes 6%. 3 layers stack: South Carolina state 6%, Charleston County local option and transportation 2%, Charleston County education capital improvement 1%. The Charleston County local option and transportation increment at 2% is the largest local piece — 67% of everything local, worth $520 a year on its own.

Same bracket nationally: Minneapolis, MN (9.025%); Spokane, WA (9%). A household relocating between Charleston and any of them sees no meaningful change in sales tax.

Scale: 155,369 residents, roughly 62,148 households. At $26,000 of taxable spend each, the 3% local share pulls about $48,475,440 a year from residents alone — before any visitor or business spending, which in a metro this size is where the rest comes from.

South Carolina exempts groceries from the state 6% but local option taxes can still apply, and residents 85 and older may claim a 1% exemption.

Rates move when a district measure passes or a local option expires. Confirm the current figure with the South Carolina Department of Revenue before filing or quoting it to a customer.

Jurisdiction breakdown

Every layer that makes up the combined rate, and how much of the total each one contributes.

Sales tax rate composition for Charleston, SC: 6% South Carolina state, 2% Charleston County local option and transportation, 1% Charleston County education capital improvement, totalling 9%.
Sales tax rate components for Charleston, SC
JurisdictionLevelRateShare of total
South Carolina statestate6%
67%
Charleston County local option and transportationcounty2%
22%
Charleston County education capital improvementspecial district1%
11%
Combined rate9%
Source: South Carolina Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026

Charleston sales tax reference table

Tax due at 9% on common purchase amounts.

Tax due at 9% for common purchase amounts
PurchaseSales taxTotal
$10$0.90$10.90
$25$2.25$27.25
$50$4.50$54.50
$100$9.00$109.00
$500$45.00$545.00
$1,000$90.00$1090.00
$5,000$450.00$5450.00
$25,000$2250.00$27250.00

Reverse out sales tax

Enter a receipt total and we split the item price from the 9% tax collected.

Backing out 9% for Charleston, SC.

Item price before tax
$100
Sales tax collected
$9

What this rate applies to

South Carolina publishes the taxable base separately from the rate. Groceries, prescription drugs, clothing and services are treated differently state to state, and several categories in South Carolina are taxed at reduced rates or exempt entirely. South Carolina exempts groceries from the state 6% but local option taxes can still apply, and residents 85 and older may claim a 1% exemption. Check the South Carolina Department of Revenue guidance for the category you are pricing before assuming 9% applies.

Charleston at a glance

Population
155,369
Median household income
$87,246
County
Charleston County
ZIP codes covered
7
Charleston demographicsZIP codesSeller registration

Neighboring districts tax profiles

The closest covered jurisdictions by county and ZIP sectional centre, with the rate difference against this metro.

Compare Charleston with another metro

Side-by-side rate stacks and the dollar difference on a $1,000 purchase.

    Cities near Charleston

    Straight-line distance, estimated drive time and the rate charged there.

    All metros within 250 miles of Charleston →

    Download this metro's data

    The Charleston jurisdiction stack, combined rate (9%), effective date and Census figures are published as open files. Free to use with attribution — no key, no signup.

    Download CSV data fileCharleston JSON endpointFull rate set (JSON)

    Other Charleston datasets on this site.

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