Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 20.2% cheaper than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.4% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 9.4% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 24.6% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 21.9% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 26.3% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 27.6% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 19.4% less in South Carolina
Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, housing, clothing, and restaurants are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 12.4% less for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$2.13
|
|
Los Angeles vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.4% less for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.38
|
|
Los Angeles vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 24.6% less for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$16.34
|
|
Los Angeles vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 21.9% less for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$141.20
|
|
Los Angeles vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 26.3% less for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Los Angeles vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 27.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$12.71
|
|
Los Angeles vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.4% less for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$112.81
|
|
Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.