Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Dubai Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 25.3% more expensive than Dubai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 88.0% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0 times more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 16.1% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 21.8% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 46.1% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.1% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 31.5% less in South Carolina
The cost of groceries, restaurants, childcare, and transportation in South Carolina are more expensive than in Dubai. Expenses including clothing, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in South Carolina. Notably, groceries and restaurants are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Dubai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Dubai, you would:
pay 88.0% more for restaurants
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.19
AED4.37
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.90
AED3.31
|
$2.13
|
|
Dubai vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
AED5.18
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.45
AED20.01
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.12
AED26.15
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.39
AED12.43
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.21
AED15.45
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.05
AED3.86
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
AED3.16
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.78
AED2.88
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
AED2.40
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.94
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.52
AED1.92
|
$1.38
|
|
Dubai vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 16.1% more for transportation
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.82
AED10.37
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$87.13
AED320.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,229.41
AED100,000.00
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.71
AED32.00
|
$16.34
|
|
Dubai vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 21.8% less for housing
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$98.23
AED360.76
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,362.29
AED8,675.50
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,533.56
AED5,632.00
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.06
AED584.17
|
$141.20
|
|
Dubai vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 46.1% more for childcare
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$823.12
AED3,022.92
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,907.17
AED54,746.58
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Dubai vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 24.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.65
AED20.75
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.13
AED22.50
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$84.61
AED310.71
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.98
AED55.00
|
$12.71
|
|
Dubai vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.5% less for clothing
|
Dubai
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$81.30
AED298.59
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.28
AED232.39
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$129.71
AED476.35
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.75
AED458.15
|
$112.81
|
|
Dubai 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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