Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Charlotte Cost of Living Summary
United States is 0.2% more expensive than Charlotte.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.2% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 5.9% less in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 5.9% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 4.2% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 0.3% less in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.7% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 2.8% less in United States
The cost of entertainment and sports, restaurants, and housing in United States are more expensive than in Charlotte. Expenses including groceries, transportation, clothing, and childcare are lower in United States.
United States vs. Charlotte Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Charlotte, you would:
pay 5.2% more for restaurants
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.03
|
$2.00
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.9% less for groceries
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.89
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.68
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.06
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.52
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.44
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.67
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$1.38
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 5.9% less for transportation
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.09
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,844.68
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.91
|
$17.61
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 4.2% more for housing
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.45
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,799.58
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,475.31
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$112.89
|
$150.19
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 0.3% less for childcare
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,314.40
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,700.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 6.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.90
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.05
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.58
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$13.64
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.8% less for clothing
|
Charlotte
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.89
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.00
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.71
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$112.04
|
|
Charlotte vs. United States - 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 United States or Charlotte. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.