Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Illinois Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 3.2% cheaper than Illinois.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.3% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 13.2% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 12.5% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 6.8% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 15.2% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.0% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 11.0% less in South Carolina
The cost of groceries, restaurants, and housing in South Carolina are more expensive than in Illinois. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Illinois Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 10.3% more for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.12
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.13
|
|
Illinois vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.2% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.13
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.38
|
|
Illinois vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 12.5% less for transportation
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.58
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,159.60
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.08
|
$16.34
|
|
Illinois vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 6.8% more for housing
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.20
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.19
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.01
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.79
|
$141.20
|
|
Illinois vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 15.2% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,386.42
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,426.10
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Illinois vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 14.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.38
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.78
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.91
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.02
|
$12.71
|
|
Illinois vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.0% less for clothing
|
Illinois
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.71
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.99
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.66
|
$112.81
|
|
Illinois 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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