Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 10.1% more expensive than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.9% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 23.0% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 10.1% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 29.1% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 9.1% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.2% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 3.6% less in South Carolina
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and childcare in South Carolina are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including entertainment and sports and clothing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 12.9% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.13
|
|
Iowa vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.0% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.38
|
|
Iowa vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 10.1% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$16.34
|
|
Iowa vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 29.1% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$141.20
|
|
Iowa vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 9.1% more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Iowa vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 10.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$12.71
|
|
Iowa vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.6% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$112.81
|
|
Iowa 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 Iowa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.