Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Alaska Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 11.7% cheaper than Alaska.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.1% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 7.0% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 1.9% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 14.7% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 30.1% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.8% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 14.2% less in South Carolina
South Carolina vs. Alaska Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Alaska, you would:
pay 26.1% less for restaurants
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$29.25
|
$18.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.16
|
$11.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.92
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
|
$2.14
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.0% less for groceries
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.90
|
$3.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.48
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.61
|
$4.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.88
|
$6.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.21
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$2.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.45
|
$1.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.72
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 1.9% more for transportation
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.45
|
$3.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.50
|
$57.12
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,620.00
|
$33,498.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.16
|
$16.31
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 14.7% less for housing
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$132.76
|
$69.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,570.72
|
$1,550.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,400.57
|
$1,238.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$251.98
|
$155.49
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 30.1% more for childcare
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,408.43
|
$1,378.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,350.00
|
$17,884.58
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 30.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.81
|
$5.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.85
|
$5.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.51
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$106.40
|
$34.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.88
|
$12.90
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.2% less for clothing
|
Alaska
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.47
|
$49.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.50
|
$37.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.25
|
$89.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.33
|
$105.99
|
|
Alaska vs. South Carolina - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Alaska vs. South Carolina
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in South Carolina?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 15 statistics
Make 34.2% less money in South Carolina
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Alaska is about 19 times bigger than South Carolina.
→
Moving from Alaska to South Carolina · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
Explore more U.S. state comparisons
See how other U.S. states compare.
Browse all state comparisons.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Carolina or Alaska. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.