Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Kentucky Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 10.2% more expensive than Kentucky.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.9% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 19.9% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 4.9% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 22.2% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 0.9% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.9% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 4.7% more in South Carolina
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports in South Carolina are more expensive than in Kentucky.
South Carolina vs. Kentucky Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Kentucky, you would:
pay 16.9% more for restaurants
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.82
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.59
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.27
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$2.13
|
|
Kentucky vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.9% more for groceries
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.62
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.43
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.14
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.82
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$1.38
|
|
Kentucky vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 4.9% more for transportation
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.17
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,897.72
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.64
|
$16.34
|
|
Kentucky vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 22.2% more for housing
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.19
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,095.19
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$954.16
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$143.50
|
$141.20
|
|
Kentucky vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 0.9% less for childcare
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,283.80
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,534.67
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Kentucky vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 3.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.88
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.94
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.93
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.21
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.61
|
$12.71
|
|
Kentucky vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% more for clothing
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.82
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.25
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.57
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.91
|
$112.81
|
|
Kentucky 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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