Asphalt driveway cost in South Carolina
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (600 sq ft)
- $2,850 – $6,800
- Per sq ft
- $4.65 – $11
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −7%
- US $5,250
- Metros covered
- 7
Across South Carolina, an asphalt driveway costs about $2,850 to $6,800 for 600 sq ft. Statewide, that midpoint is 7% below the US figure of $5,250. Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn a median $22.57 an hour in South Carolina (US: $25.64).
Inside South Carolina, the metros we cover range from $4,750 (Charleston) to $4,900 (Hilton Head) at the midpoint. Pick your closest city in the table for a tighter number.
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Estimated cost for 600 sq ft in South Carolina (statewide), standard level
$4,050 to $5,650
About $6.60 to $9.15 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 38% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,500 | $3,250 |
| Labor | $1,450 | $2,250 |
| Permits and fees | $90 | $150 |
| Total | $4,050 | $5,650 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in South Carolina
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,900 | $2,850 | $3,800 | 59% |
| Labor | $890 | $1,850 | $2,800 | 38% |
| Permits and fees | $45 | $120 | $190 | 2% |
| Total | $2,850 | $4,850 | $6,800 | 100% |
Basic, standard or premium: South Carolina prices
Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft.
Basic
$2,850 to $4,450
New topcoat over a sound base, flat lot
Standard
$4,050 to $5,650
Full new driveway: base, 2-3 in of hot mix, edging
Premium
$5,250 to $6,800
Full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,150 – $1,850 | $1,650 – $2,350 | $2,150 – $2,850 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $1,900 – $3,000 | $2,700 – $3,800 | $3,550 – $4,600 |
| 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft | $2,850 – $4,450 | $4,050 – $5,650 | $5,250 – $6,800 |
| long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft | $4,700 – $7,300 | $6,650 – $9,300 | $8,650 – $11,200 |
Add-ons priced for South Carolina
Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.92 for South Carolina, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.87) and goods price index (0.96). The estimator above can add them to your total.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add a sealcoat | $550 – $1,100 |
Other South Carolina jobs that often go with asphalt driveway
Each project weights the trades differently, so South Carolina's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, concrete slab is −8% and concrete driveway −10%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,300 – $8,250 | −10% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,350 | −9% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,750 – $4,950 | −9% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $550 – $1,950 | −8% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,800 | −8% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,150 – $3,650 | −9% |
Why two South Carolina quotes can differ
New versus overlay
Resurfacing an existing driveway runs $3-$7 per sq ft; a full new driveway runs $5-$12+ (HomeGuide). Tearing out and replacing one is higher still.
Base work
Four to eight inches of compacted aggregate under the asphalt is where cheap quotes cut corners. Base typically runs $1-$3 per sq ft.
Small jobs cost more per foot
Paving crews move a paver, roller and trucks to your address, so a 400 sq ft driveway carries more mobilization per square foot than a 1,000 sq ft one.
Hot-mix price
Hot-mix asphalt is $100-$200 per ton delivered and moves with oil prices (PaveGauge).
Sealcoating
Sealing is $1-$2 per sq ft and is a maintenance cost, not part of the install.
South Carolina against its neighbors
South Carolina ranks 44 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for asphalt driveway, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $7,500 and the cheapest Mississippi at $4,600, both for 600 sq ft at the midpoint. South Carolina sits at $4,850. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 120 miles away | $2,850 – $6,900 | $4,900 | +1% |
| Georgia | 180 miles away | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,850 | level |
| Virginia | 300 miles away | $3,000 – $7,150 | $5,100 | +5% |
| West Virginia | 340 miles away | $2,900 – $6,950 | $4,900 | +2% |
| Tennessee | 350 miles away | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,800 | level |
Which South Carolina city is cheapest for asphalt driveway?
1 of the 7 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $4,850, and the top-to-bottom gap is 3%. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.
| Metro | Range (600 sq ft) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head, SC | $2,850 – $6,900 | $4,900 | +1% |
| Florence, SC | $2,850 – $6,850 | $4,850 | level |
| Greenville, SC | $2,850 – $6,850 | $4,850 | level |
| Spartanburg, SC | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,800 | level |
| Columbia, SC | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,800 | −1% |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | $2,800 – $6,700 | $4,750 | −2% |
| Charleston, SC | $2,800 – $6,700 | $4,750 | −2% |
Weather windows across South Carolina
Weather decides when digging and ground work can happen, and South Carolina is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.
Charleston has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in South Carolina at 12 months; Columbia has the shortest at 9 (September through May). Rainfall runs from 44 inches a year in Columbia to 54 inches in Myrtle Beach.
We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.
| Metro | Jan avg low °F | Jul avg high °F | Precip (in/yr) | Comfortable months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 35 | 91 | 47 | 11: August through June |
| Columbia | 37 | 93 | 44 | 9: September through May |
| Charleston | 44 | 88 | 44 | 12: all year |
| Spartanburg | 32 | 90 | 50 | 10: February through June and August through December |
| Myrtle Beach | 34 | 87 | 54 | 12: all year |
| Florence | 36 | 92 | 45 | 10: September through June |
| Hilton Head | 40 | 92 | 45 | 10: September through June |
What paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators and the other trades earn in South Carolina
South Carolina's labor line is priced from 3 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 0.87 times the national level.
Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071), 40% of the weighting: a median of $22.57 an hour, 12% below the US median of $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $19.31 and $23.63 an hour. About 630 work in the state. That is 2.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 2.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $20.65 an hour, which is 9% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.64 and $23.62 an hour. BLS counts 19,620 of them working in the state, 85.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $23.53 an hour, 18% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $21.62 and $27.78 an hour. About 8,160 work in the state. That is 35.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators ($23.63 an hour) would add about $35 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($19.31) would take off about $110. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 2,305,080 jobs across South Carolina (May 2025), which is 1.5% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071) | 40% | $19.31 | $22.57 | $23.63 | $25.64 | 0.88 | state |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $17.64 | $20.65 | $23.62 | $22.66 | 0.91 | state |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $21.62 | $23.53 | $27.78 | $28.78 | 0.82 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.87 | |||||
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Asphalt driveway in South Carolina: your questions
+How much does it cost to pave a driveway in South Carolina?
$2,850 to $6,800 for 600 sq ft, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside South Carolina can sit above or below that.
+Which city in South Carolina is cheapest for asphalt driveway?
Charleston at about $4,750 (midpoint, 600 sq ft). The priciest is Hilton Head at $4,900.
+Is asphalt driveway cheaper in South Carolina than the US average?
It is 7% cheaper: $4,850 against $5,250 for 600 sq ft at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in South Carolina?
About 38% ($1,850). Materials are 59%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 0.87x the national wage level.
+What do paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn in South Carolina?
The BLS statewide median is $22.57 an hour, against $25.64 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $19.31 to $23.63.
+Where does South Carolina rank for asphalt driveway costs?
44th most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $4,850 for 600 sq ft. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium asphalt driveway work cost in South Carolina?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $2,850 to $4,450 and premium work $5,250 to $6,800. Basic means: new topcoat over a sound base, flat lot. Premium means: full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth.
+Does the season matter for asphalt driveway in South Carolina?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the South Carolina metros we cover, Charleston has the most comfortable months (12 of 12) based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals. Our prices do not change by month, so ask contractors whether they charge more or less in busy and slow seasons.
+What does "add a sealcoat" add in South Carolina?
$550 to $1,100 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the statewide wage and goods indexes.
Asphalt driveway by city in South Carolina
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Paving an Asphalt Driveway Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- PaveGauge: Asphalt Driveway Cost (2026): Price by Size (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = hot-mix asphalt ($2.30-$3.60/sq ft at 3 in) plus aggregate base ($1-$3/sq ft) from PaveGauge's component table.