Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. New Jersey Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 17.1% cheaper than New Jersey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.9% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 11.0% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 21.9% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 10.1% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 31.6% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.1% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 18.2% less in South Carolina
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, groceries, and housing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. New Jersey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 1.9% less for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.40
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.13
|
|
New Jersey vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.0% less for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.09
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.24
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.96
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.38
|
|
New Jersey vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 21.9% less for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$116.02
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,841.50
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.75
|
$16.34
|
|
New Jersey vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 10.1% less for housing
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.68
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,279.92
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,885.98
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.74
|
$141.20
|
|
New Jersey vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 31.6% less for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,023.96
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,267.62
|
$19,168.15
|
|
New Jersey vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 25.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.95
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.79
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.90
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.52
|
$12.71
|
|
New Jersey vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.2% less for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.64
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.26
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.28
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.81
|
$112.81
|
|
New Jersey 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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