$90,000 in Madison ≈ $93,422 in Charleston

$93,422

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (97.3 → 101). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Charleston run +3.8% vs Madison for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Madison RPP
97.3
Charleston RPP
101
Price gap
+3.8%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Charleston run +3.8% versus Madison on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Madison maps to about $93,422 in Charleston for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Charleston: $93,422

Live math: salary × (101 ÷ 97.3). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Charleston

In MadisonIn Charleston
$60,000$62,282
$90,000$93,422
$150,000$155,704

Equivalent = origin salary × (101 ÷ 97.3). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentMadisonCharlestonUS
All items97.3101.0100
Goods93.896.3100
Housing (rents)99.7119.8100
Other services99.498.3100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationMadisonCharlestonDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Chief Executives$217,010$197,220$136,730 to $289,930290−9.1%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$168,900$167,000$120,750 to $215,250940−1.1%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$160,700$174,040$150,560 to $216,430730+8.3%
Financial Managers$148,970$147,170$110,410 to $206,7201,420−1.2%
Sales Managers$146,380$139,830$97,330 to $179,7001,660−4.5%
Marketing Managers$138,270$138,790$103,570 to $194,930800+0.4%
Computer Network Architects$135,490$137,930$117,490 to $160,300480+1.8%
Human Resources Managers$140,680$127,080$96,880 to $163,540420−9.7%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Charleston to match $90,000 in Madison?
About $93,422, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 97.3 and 101. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.