South Carolina travel nurse pay 2026: $93,846, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in South Carolina
Travel RN contracts in South Carolina post an average base of $93,846 annualised — 7% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 37th of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How South Carolina compares for staff work
Staff RNs in South Carolina average $87,670, 37th of 51 states and DC, against a $93,846 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. South Carolina salary guide.
Licensing for a South Carolina assignment
South Carolina is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a South Carolina assignment with no separate application, which is why South Carolina can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The South Carolina Board of Nursing charges $110 and quotes 3–5 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
South Carolina income tax: graduated to 6.4%, charged on wages earned in South Carolina wherever your tax home is — so compare a South Carolina contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the South Carolina state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
South Carolina's travel markets are Charleston, Columbia, Greenville. Regional price parity is 91.0 against a national 100, so South Carolina costs run 9.0% below average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives South Carolina demand
Right-to-work state with Charleston/Greenville population growth.
Ratio law: South Carolina has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so staffing levels are set by each hospital rather than by statute. For a traveller that cuts both ways: there is no legal floor on the assignment you can be given, so the ratio you are quoted at interview is worth getting in writing, and it is worth asking what the unit runs at on nights and weekends rather than what the daytime policy says.
Timing a South Carolina contract
What moves South Carolina rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above South Carolina's $93,846 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a South Carolina contract
Get the South Carolina license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in South Carolina?
About $93,846 annualised posted base, 7% below the national $101,132 and 37th of 51.
Do I need a South Carolina license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers South Carolina.
Are South Carolina travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering South Carolina
North Carolina · Georgia · Florida · Tennessee.
Related South Carolina guides
South Carolina RN salary · South Carolina licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.