How Much Does Divorce Cost in Charleston, SC? The Real Numbers

You're sitting in your car outside Harris Teeter on Coleman Boulevard trying to figure out if you can actually afford to get divorced. Maybe you've got $6,000 in savings and you're hoping that's enough. Or maybe you don't have $6,000 and you're panicking about how you're even going to do this at all.

I know. The money part is terrifying when everything else in your life is already falling apart.

Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to give you actual numbers for what divorce costs in Charleston. Not vague lawyer-speak about "it depends." Real costs. When it's cheap. When it's not. What's going to drain your bank account and what won't.

Because the worst thing about divorce costs isn't that it's expensive—it's that nobody tells you the real numbers until you're already knee-deep in it and the bills keep piling up.

The Short Answer (If You're In a Hurry)

Uncontested divorce in Charleston where you both agree on everything: $500-$1,800 if you do it yourself or use Divorce.com.

With a lawyer even though you agree: $3,500-$12,000.

Contested divorce where you're fighting about stuff: $12,000-$45,000 per person. Yeah, per person means you're both paying your own lawyers.

High-conflict divorce with custody battles: $50,000-$120,000+ per person.

Most Charleston divorces end up somewhere in the $8,000-$30,000 range per person. That's reality.

The Court Filing Fee (Everyone Pays This)

The filing fee for divorce in Charleston County is $150. That's what you pay just to file the paperwork at the Charleston County Family Court.

Can't get around it. Uncontested, contested, high-conflict—everyone pays this.

If you literally cannot afford $150, you can file an Affidavit of Indigency. You fill out your income and expenses. If you're on SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, or your income is below certain levels, the court waives the fee.

A lot of people don't know about fee waivers. They just assume they can't afford to file. If $150 is the difference between filing or not, look into the waiver. Don't just not file because of it.

DIY Divorce Costs (When You Do Everything Yourself)

If you and your spouse agree on absolutely everything—and I mean everything, not "we mostly agree"—you can file for divorce yourself.

What it costs:

• Filing fee: $150

• Process server: $45-$100 (or free if a friend does it)

• Copies and notary fees: $20-$50

• Total: $215-$300

That's it. If you're capable of figuring out the South Carolina divorce forms yourself, that's all you pay.

The problem? South Carolina divorce forms are complicated. There's a bunch of different forms. They're written in legal language that makes your brain hurt. One mistake and the court rejects them and you start over.

A lot of people start trying to do it themselves, get frustrated after a couple weeks of trying to figure out what a "settlement agreement" needs to include, and end up hiring a lawyer anyway. Now they've wasted two weeks and they're paying the lawyer to fix the forms they already messed up.

Using Divorce.com (The Middle Ground)

This is what Divorce.com is for. You pay a flat fee—$500-$800 depending on which package you pick. They walk you through the South Carolina forms in plain English. They make sure everything's filled out right. They tell you where to file and how to serve your spouse.

Total cost with Divorce.com:

• Divorce.com fee: $500-$800

• Court filing fee: $150

• Process server: $45-$100

• Total: $695-$1,050

Way cheaper than a lawyer. Way less frustrating than trying to figure it out yourself at 1am.

The catch? You and your spouse have to actually agree on everything. Property division. Debt. If you have kids, custody and support. All of it. Divorce.com isn't going to help you negotiate or fight. It's help with paperwork for people who've already worked everything out.

If you're fighting about who gets the house in Mount Pleasant or what the custody schedule should be, Divorce.com won't work. You need a lawyer or at least a mediator.

Lawyer Costs in Charleston (When You Need Professional Help)

Charleston divorce lawyers charge $250-$500 per hour. Downtown Charleston lawyers are usually $350-$500. Mount Pleasant lawyers might be $300-$450. West Ashley or North Charleston lawyers can be $250-$375.

You don't just pay the hourly rate. You pay a retainer upfront—usually $3,500-$12,500. That's money they put in a trust account and bill against.

Every single thing your lawyer does gets billed to that retainer:

• Reading your emails: 15 minutes minimum ($65-$125 per email)

• Phone calls: 15 minutes minimum ($65-$125 per call even if it's 5 minutes)

• Court appearances: 4-5 hours including prep and travel time ($1,000-$2,500 per hearing)

• Reviewing documents: $250-$500 per hour

• Negotiations with other lawyer: $250-$500 per hour

The retainer runs out way faster than you think. Then you get a letter saying deposit more money or they stop working.

Uncontested Divorce With a Lawyer

If you agree on everything but you still hire a lawyer to handle it: $3,500-$12,000 total.

This is honestly wasteful if you actually agree. You're paying someone $400 an hour to file paperwork. But some people want the peace of mind or they're scared of messing up the forms.

Contested Divorce (Fighting About Stuff)

This is where most Charleston divorces end up. You agree on most things but you're fighting about the house, custody schedule, alimony, or how to divide property.

Cost: $12,000-$45,000 per person

Here's what you're paying for:

• Initial retainer and ongoing fees: $5,000-$18,000

• Discovery (requesting financial documents, depositions): $3,000-$12,000

• Court hearings and motions: $2,500-$10,000

• Trial preparation if it goes that far: $5,000-$20,000

• Expert witnesses if needed (appraisers, custody evaluators): $2,500-$10,000

Every time your spouse's lawyer sends a letter, your lawyer responds. That's billing. Every time there's a disagreement that requires a court filing, that's billing. It adds up fast.

High-Conflict Divorce (Full Battle Mode)

Major custody fight. One spouse hiding assets. Multiple court appearances. Going to trial.

Cost: $50,000-$120,000+ per person

I'm not exaggerating. I know people in Charleston who spent over $100,000 on their divorce.

At this level you're paying for:

• Extensive discovery and depositions: $12,000-$30,000

• Multiple court appearances: $6,000-$20,000

• Private investigators if needed: $3,000-$10,000

• Custody evaluators: $6,000-$18,000

• Expert witnesses (forensic accountants, property appraisers): $10,000-$30,000

• Trial preparation and trial: $20,000-$50,000+

Going to trial is where costs explode. Your lawyer bills for every hour of prep. Every day in court. At $350-$500 an hour, that's devastating.

Mediation Costs (The Cheaper Alternative)

Mediation is where you and your spouse sit with a neutral mediator who helps you work through disagreements.

Mediators in Charleston charge $200-$400 per hour. You split the cost. So you're each paying $100-$200 per hour.

Most divorces take 4-6 mediation sessions to work through everything. Call it 12-18 hours total.

Total mediation cost: $2,400-$7,200 split between you

So you're each paying $1,200-$3,600 for mediation.

Then you still need to file the paperwork. You can do it yourself, use Divorce.com, or hire a lawyer just to file what you agreed to in mediation.

Total cost per person with mediation:

• Mediation: $1,200-$3,600

• Filing the paperwork: $500-$1,800

• Total: $1,700-$5,400 per person

Way cheaper than fighting with lawyers. But mediation only works if both people actually want to reach an agreement.

What Makes Charleston Divorces Expensive

Kids and custody. If you can't agree on custody, costs skyrocket. Custody evaluators in Charleston County run $6,000-$18,000. Fighting over custody in court can go on for years.

Real estate. Charleston real estate is expensive. A house in Mount Pleasant or Daniel Island can be worth $800k-$2 million. Downtown Charleston historic homes even more. Figuring out how to divide this gets complicated.

Coastal property. If you own property on Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, or Folly Beach, valuation and division gets complex.

Business ownership. Charleston has lots of small business owners and tourism businesses. Valuing and dividing a business requires forensic accountants. That's $5,000-$15,000 right there.

Retirement accounts. 401ks, pensions, especially military pensions (Joint Base Charleston)—these need special court orders (QDROs for civilian, special orders for military) to divide without tax penalties.

Hidden assets. If you think your spouse is hiding money, your lawyer has to do discovery. Subpoena records. This costs thousands.

Alimony fights. South Carolina calls it alimony. If there's a big income gap or one spouse committed adultery (which affects alimony in SC), it becomes a battle. Adultery can bar someone from receiving alimony in South Carolina.

Bad lawyers. Some lawyers love to fight because fighting means billing hours.

Your spouse being difficult. If your spouse wants to fight about everything because they're angry, you're stuck paying your lawyer to respond to every motion.

Real Charleston Examples

Jake and Emily (not real names): Married 6 years. No kids. Rented in West Ashley. Some savings. Agreed on everything. Used Divorce.com. Total per person: $622.50 ($500 Divorce.com, $75 filing fee each).

Michael and Sarah: Married 12 years. Two kids. Owned a house in Mount Pleasant. Both worked, similar incomes. Couldn't agree on custody schedule. Did mediation—five sessions. Worked it out. Both hired lawyers just to finalize. Each spent about $8,500 ($2,400 mediation, $6,100 lawyers).

David and Jennifer: Married 16 years. Three kids. David had business on King Street. Jennifer stayed home. Fought over custody, alimony, business value, everything. Adultery allegations. Went to trial. David spent $95,000. Jennifer spent $78,000. They spent more on lawyers than the business was worth.

Can You Get a "Cheap" Divorce in Charleston?

Depends what you mean by cheap.

If you both agree on everything and do it yourself: $215-$300 total. That's cheap.

If you both agree and use Divorce.com: $695-$1,050 total. Still cheap.

If you need lawyers because you can't agree: No, it's not going to be cheap. Plan on $12k-$30k per person for a contested divorce in Charleston.

South Carolina's One-Year Separation Requirement

Here's something important about South Carolina: if you want a no-fault divorce, you have to live separately for one full year before you can file. That's the law.

The other option is fault-based grounds like adultery, physical cruelty, habitual drunkenness, or desertion. These let you file sooner but you have to prove the fault.

Most people do the one-year separation because it's cleaner. But it means you're waiting a year before you can even file.

This doesn't affect the cost directly, but it's important to know. You can negotiate everything during that year and have everything ready to file immediately when the year is up.

How to Keep Costs Down

Agree on as much as possible during the separation year.

Don't email your lawyer constantly. They bill for every email.

Organize documents yourself. Don't pay your lawyer $400/hour to sort bank statements.

Pick your battles. Is it worth $2,000 to fight over the $400 item?

Respond quickly to requests.

Try mediation first.

Be honest about your budget.

When Cost Doesn't Matter (You Need to Pay It)

Sometimes you don't have a choice.

If your spouse is hiding assets, spending $15k on a lawyer who finds it might save you $80k.

If your spouse is fighting you for custody and lying, you need a good lawyer. Your kids are worth it.

If you have valuable Charleston real estate or a business, you need a lawyer who knows valuation.

If there's domestic violence, you need a lawyer now.

Don't cheap out when it matters.

The Bottom Line

Most people in Charleston can get divorced for $695-$1,050 if they actually agree and use Divorce.com.

Most people end up spending $8,000-$30,000 per person because they can't agree on everything.

Some people spend $50,000-$120,000+ because they're in full battle mode.

The biggest factor is whether you fight or agree. Everything else is details.

You'll figure it out. Everyone does.