Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Atlanta Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 9.8% cheaper than Atlanta.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.0% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 6.3% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 14.1% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 10.2% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 9.4% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.2% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 8.2% less in South Carolina
Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, housing, childcare, restaurants, and clothing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Atlanta Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Atlanta, you would:
pay 9.0% less for restaurants
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.21
|
$2.13
|
|
Atlanta vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.3% less for groceries
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.81
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.98
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.85
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.25
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.62
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.32
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.22
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.66
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.51
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.28
|
$1.38
|
|
Atlanta vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 14.1% less for transportation
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,901.81
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.43
|
$16.34
|
|
Atlanta vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 10.2% less for housing
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.27
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,814.80
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,517.12
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.95
|
$141.20
|
|
Atlanta vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 9.4% less for childcare
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,240.00
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,413.80
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Atlanta vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 11.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.00
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.00
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.09
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.50
|
$12.71
|
|
Atlanta vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.2% less for clothing
|
Atlanta
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.21
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.62
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.25
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.44
|
$112.81
|
|
Atlanta 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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