Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. New Mexico Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 5.3% more expensive than New Mexico.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.9% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 13.2% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 21.4% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 0.1% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.4% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.6% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 0.3% less in South Carolina
South Carolina vs. New Mexico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of New Mexico, you would:
pay 9.9% more for restaurants
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.92
|
$18.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.39
|
$11.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.15
|
$2.14
|
|
New Mexico vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.2% more for groceries
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.47
|
$3.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.08
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.61
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.93
|
$4.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.63
|
$6.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$2.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.05
|
$2.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.68
|
$1.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
|
$1.72
|
|
New Mexico vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 21.4% more for transportation
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.78
|
$3.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$24.33
|
$57.12
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,844.00
|
$33,498.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.93
|
$16.31
|
|
New Mexico vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 0.1% less for housing
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$79.39
|
$69.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,492.80
|
$1,550.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,291.68
|
$1,238.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.99
|
$155.49
|
|
New Mexico vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.4% less for childcare
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,273.60
|
$1,378.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,305.17
|
$17,884.58
|
|
New Mexico vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 11.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.04
|
$5.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.25
|
$5.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.53
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.06
|
$34.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.18
|
$12.90
|
|
New Mexico vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.3% less for clothing
|
New Mexico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.15
|
$49.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.98
|
$37.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.23
|
$89.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$99.28
|
$105.99
|
|
New Mexico 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
Change currency:
Compare further: New Mexico vs. South Carolina
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in South Carolina?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 10 statistics
Be 27.1% less likely to live below the poverty line in South Carolina
→
Size Comparison · See true size
New Mexico is about 4 times bigger than South Carolina.
→
Moving from New Mexico to South Carolina · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
Explore more U.S. state comparisons
See how other U.S. states compare.
Browse all state comparisons.
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 New Mexico. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.