Salary data is based on the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metropolitan area and applied to North Charleston using local cost-of-living adjustments.

Ophthalmologists Salaries in North Charleston, SC

Average Base Pay

$199,480/yr

1% below national average

Monthly

$16,623

Hourly

$96

Cost Index

Ophthalmologists in North Charleston, SC earn an average of $199,480 per year, with most salaries falling between $159,584 and $239,376 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. At 1% below the national average, North Charleston offers a more modest rate for this role, in part reflecting a local cost of living index of 91. For professionals evaluating a move or negotiating an offer, the headline salary is only part of the picture—what matters most is how far that income actually goes once taxes, rent, and daily expenses are factored in. The sections below break that down in full for North Charleston.

Salary Range

The chart below shows the full compensation spectrum for this role, from entry-level to senior positions. The highlighted center bars represent the 25th–75th percentile band where most professionals are paid.

$150K
Low

$199K
Median

$249K
High

25th percentile: $170K75th percentile: $229K

About Ophthalmologists

Physicians diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries, and medical conditions across a wide range of specialties. General practitioners and family medicine physicians manage undifferentiated health problems and chronic conditions for patients of all ages, serving as the primary point of care and coordinating specialist referrals. Internists focus on adult medicine and often subspecialize in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, or pulmonology. Surgeons perform operative procedures to treat conditions ranging from appendicitis and cancer to orthopedic injuries and heart disease. Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental health conditions using medication management and psychotherapy. Emergency physicians manage acute and life-threatening conditions in high-acuity settings. Pediatricians care for infants, children, and adolescents. Pathologists diagnose disease through laboratory analysis of tissue, blood, and other specimens. Radiologists interpret medical imaging studies. The educational pathway requires four years of medical school following a bachelor's degree, three to seven years of residency training, and often additional fellowship training in a subspecialty. Physicians are licensed by state medical boards and must maintain board certification through continuous medical education and periodic examinations.

What Ophthalmologists Do

Obtain patient history and perform physical examinations
Diagnose conditions based on clinical findings and diagnostic test results
Develop and implement individualized treatment plans
Prescribe medications and therapies
Order and interpret diagnostic tests including laboratory studies and imaging
Perform procedures appropriate to specialty
Coordinate care with specialists, nurses, and allied health professionals
Maintain accurate medical records and complete documentation

Key Skills & Qualifications

Clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning
Medical knowledge across pathophysiology, pharmacology, and treatment
Procedure-specific technical skills relevant to specialty
Patient communication and shared decision-making
Interpretation of laboratory and radiographic data
Electronic health record documentation
MD or DO degree, residency completion, and board certification
Medical licensure in state(s) of practice

Career Path

Medical Student
Resident Physician
Attending Physician
Subspecialty Fellow
Department Chief / Medical Director

Ophthalmologists Market in North Charleston, SC

Salary Competitiveness

North Charleston salaries for Ophthalmologists track closely with the national median, diverging by less than 4%. This alignment suggests a competitive but balanced local market—employers are broadly in step with national pay scales, which can make benchmark comparisons more reliable when negotiating.

Cost of Living Impact

North Charleston sits close to the national cost average. Monthly essential expenses represent about 20% of take-home pay for this role—a midrange ratio that allows for modest savings and discretionary spending, provided housing costs remain stable.

Effective Purchasing Power

After adjusting for local taxes and cost of living, a Ophthalmologists earning $199,480 in North Charleston reaches a strong purchasing-power position. The effective standard of living this income supports is materially higher than the gross number alone implies—a useful data point for professionals comparing offers across metro areas.

vs. National Avg

-1%

Cost Pressure

20%

Purchasing Power

Strong

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Enter any gross salary to see how federal and state taxes affect your actual take-home pay, broken down by year, month, and week. Results use an estimated effective tax rate of 27% based on this location and income level.

Annual Salary

Take-home (73%)Taxes (27%)

Annual Net

$145,620

Monthly

$12,135

Weekly

$2,800

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $199,480 for a Ophthalmologists in North Charleston translates to roughly $12,135 in monthly take-home pay after estimated federal and state taxes. Set against monthly living costs of $2,447—covering housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare—that leaves approximately $9,688 per month in disposable income. That margin, not the gross number, is what determines whether you can comfortably cover rent, build savings, and afford discretionary spending in North Charleston's current market.

How far does this salary go in North Charleston?

Cost of Living in North Charleston

Estimated monthly expenses for a single person in North Charleston, benchmarked against US regional price indices for housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare.

Cost Index

Below Avg — US average is 100. Based on a single person (1-bed apartment).

🏠Housing / Rent$1,380/mo

🍔Food & Groceries$475/mo

🚗Transportation$130/mo

💡Utilities$170/mo

🏥Healthcare$292/mo

Monthly$2,447

Annual$29,364

Disposable Income$9,688

Financial Reality Check

This section compares estimated monthly take-home pay against typical living costs in North Charleston to show your real disposable income—the amount remaining after essential bills are paid each month.

Monthly Take-Home

$12,135

Living Costs

$2,447

Disposable

$9,688

Cost Index

Lifestyle

Comfortable

With a monthly take-home of $12,135, your estimated living costs in North Charleston are $2,447 ($29,364/yr). This leaves $9,688 per month in disposable income, indicating a comfortable standard of living. North Charleston's cost of living is 9% below the national average.

Overall, a Ophthalmologists earning $199,480 in North Charleston falls into a comfortable lifestyle tier and has meaningful room to save, invest, and absorb unexpected expenses without financial stress. With a cost index of 91, North Charleston is 9% more affordable than the national average, which extends your purchasing power. Regardless of tier, prioritizing retirement contributions, an emergency fund of three to six months' expenses, and incremental debt reduction will yield the greatest long-term financial stability—especially as living costs in North Charleston continue to evolve.