Commercial Real Estate Market in Charleston, SC
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: October 31
371 active listings and 5,500 off-market properties in Charleston, SC. Commercial property asks $496/SF to buy and $30.00/SF/Yr to lease. Industrial vacancy runs 14.3%, the loosest of the segments tracked here.
Market Trends
Charleston, SC spans 232.3 square miles in Charleston County, South Carolina. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 October 2026.
Office
Office space in Charleston, SC asks $32.35/SF/Yr to lease; the median asking sale price is $414/SF (based on 5 listings). Vacancy runs 7.5% in 2025, up from 6.8% in 2019. Down from a 2021 peak of 10.4%.
Retail
Retail space in Charleston, SC has a median asking sale price of $1,068/SF (based on 4 listings). Vacancy runs 3.6% in 2025, down from 5.2% in 2019. Down from a 2020 peak of 7.2%.
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Charleston, SC runs 14.3% in 2025, up from 5.5% in 2019. Nearly 11.9x the 2022 low of 1.2%.
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Charleston, SC has a median asking sale price of $533/SF. Vacancy runs 11.3% across the South region in 2025, up from 8.5% in 2022.
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 25.5%
- Planned_development 25%
- Agricultural 20.4%
- Industrial 13.5%
- Commercial 4.3%
- Civic 3.3%
- Open space 2.7%
- Mixed use 0.9%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
This zone is intended to provide flexibility in the design of developments; to encourage comprehensive planning of developments; to permit innovation in neighborhood design that includes incorporation of open space, preservation of natural features and other amenities; to provide opportunity for a mixture of uses within a development, and to insure compatibi…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Charleston, SC has 301,584 residents in 144,941 households. Density runs 1,298 people per square mile. Median household income here is $78,636 and median gross rent $1,515 a month.
Tools
Lease vs Buy Breakeven
At $30.00/SF/Yr lease vs $496/SF buy → buying wins if held > 5.1 years.
At a 6% gross asking yield the payback reads short relative to leasing. Assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% a year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost, 2% closing plus 5% selling costs, and a 3% annual rent escalator.
Nearby Markets
| Market | Median Asking Price, $/SF | Median Asking Rent, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | $373 | $28.00 |
| North Charleston | $204 | $17.50 |
Commercial property in Charleston, SC asks $496/SF. The 2 bordering markets run from $204/SF in North Charleston to $373/SF in Mount Pleasant, and the city sits above their $289/SF median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median price per square foot for commercial property in Charleston?
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Charleston?
What is the office vacancy rate in Charleston?
Which property type has the lowest vacancy in Charleston?
Is it cheaper to lease or buy commercial space in Charleston?
How does Charleston compare to nearby markets on price?
Where does Realmo's Charleston market data come from?
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and medians
- There are 142 active for-sale and 229 active for-lease listings in Charleston, SC. The medians are based on 80 of the for-sale and 43 of the for-lease listings, those that state a price or rent per square foot. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a figure resting on fewer than 10 listings says so where it is quoted.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 72,274 zoned acres across 51 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 October 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- multifamily vacancy is reported at South region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 October 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
