Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. California Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 16.4% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.2% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 4.4% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 20.2% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 21.6% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 27.1% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.4% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 8.0% less in South Carolina
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of California, you would:
pay 7.2% less for restaurants
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.13
|
|
California vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.4% less for groceries
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.38
|
|
California vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 20.2% less for transportation
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$16.34
|
|
California vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 21.6% less for housing
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$141.20
|
|
California vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 27.1% less for childcare
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$19,168.15
|
|
California vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 26.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$12.71
|
|
California vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.0% less for clothing
|
California
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$112.81
|
|
California 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
Change currency:
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 California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.