Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Alabama Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 13.8% more expensive than Alabama.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.4% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 13.2% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 0.9% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 29.3% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 21.9% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.6% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 14.2% more in South Carolina
The cost of housing, childcare, restaurants, clothing, groceries, and transportation in South Carolina are more expensive than in Alabama.
South Carolina vs. Alabama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Alabama, you would:
pay 16.4% more for restaurants
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.75
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.36
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.07
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$2.13
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.2% more for groceries
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.26
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.23
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.69
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.89
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.45
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.76
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.38
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 0.9% more for transportation
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.84
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,098.54
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.41
|
$16.34
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 29.3% more for housing
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.63
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.37
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$847.06
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.14
|
$141.20
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 21.9% more for childcare
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,146.13
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,177.33
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 0.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.96
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.95
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.76
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.81
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.07
|
$12.71
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.2% more for clothing
|
Alabama
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$39.67
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.87
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.77
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.17
|
$112.81
|
|
Alabama vs. South Carolina - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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