Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Charleston-North Charleston, SC is $98,450/year ($47.33/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $64K at the entry level to $122K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.96), that's roughly $97,514 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,787/month, or 28.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $98K get you in Charleston-North Charleston?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charleston-North Charleston’s Regional Price Parity (100.96). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About ship engineers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Charleston-North Charleston
Ship engineers pay in Charleston-North Charleston tracks closely to the national median, $98K locally vs. $110K nationwide, a 10% difference. Rent runs $1,787/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.4% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 100.96) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $64K. Mid-career wages sit at $98K. Top earners bring in $122K or more, a $58K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Ship Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $134K | +22% | 550 |
| Hawaii | $132K | +20% | 70 |
| Florida | $130K | +19% | 1,260 |
| Texas | $128K | +17% | 660 |
| Massachusetts | $123K | +12% | 150 |
| Indiana | $122K | +12% | 210 |
| Kentucky | $121K | +10% | N/A |
| Rhode Island | $119K | +9% | 50 |
| Connecticut | $119K | +9% | 50 |
| New Jersey | $118K | +8% | 170 |
| Illinois | $115K | +5% | 110 |
| Washington | $108K | -1% | 730 |
| Louisiana | $103K | -6% | 610 |
| Mississippi | $98K | -10% | 140 |
| South Carolina | $98K | -11% | 80 |
| California | $98K | -11% | 610 |
| Alabama | $96K | -12% | 50 |
| Oregon | $89K | -19% | 80 |
| Alaska | $88K | -19% | 420 |
| Virginia | $82K | -25% | 1,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $80K | -27% | 90 |
| Michigan | $79K | -28% | 100 |
| Maine | $77K | -30% | 30 |
| North Carolina | $65K | -41% | 90 |
Showing 1–10 of 24 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Charleston-North Charleston numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charleston-North Charleston?
Yes — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 29.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,787/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Charleston-North Charleston?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,843/month. At HUD’s $1,787/month FMR, rent would take 47% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in Charleston-North Charleston?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $98K locally vs. $110K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Charleston-North Charleston compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Charleston-North Charleston pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $98K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
The median is $98,450 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $64,050, and experienced ship engineers can clear $122,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $98K enough to live in Charleston-North Charleston?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,081/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,787/month, which eats 29.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a ship engineers salary go in Charleston-North Charleston?
Charleston-North Charleston has a Regional Price Parity of 100.96 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ship engineers salary is worth about $97,514 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do ship engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.