Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Massachusetts Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 16.6% cheaper than Massachusetts.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.0% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 1.3% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 11.4% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 28.4% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 36.1% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.8% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 4.7% less in South Carolina
South Carolina vs. Massachusetts Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Massachusetts, you would:
pay 9.0% less for restaurants
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.38
|
$18.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.97
|
$11.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.74
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.14
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.3% more for groceries
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.86
|
$3.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.01
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.07
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.58
|
$4.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
|
$6.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.55
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.91
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$2.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$2.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.72
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 11.4% less for transportation
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.83
|
$3.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$71.50
|
$57.12
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,766.23
|
$33,498.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.36
|
$16.31
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 28.4% less for housing
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$73.63
|
$69.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,181.37
|
$1,550.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,944.96
|
$1,238.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$170.22
|
$155.49
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 36.1% less for childcare
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,041.15
|
$1,378.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,539.47
|
$17,884.58
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 16.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
|
$5.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.18
|
$5.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.90
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.54
|
$34.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.30
|
$12.90
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% less for clothing
|
Massachusetts
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.91
|
$49.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.86
|
$37.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$92.15
|
$89.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.99
|
$105.99
|
|
Massachusetts vs. South Carolina - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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