Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. New York City Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 33.2% cheaper than New York City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.5% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 23.1% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 29.4% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 28.7% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 61.9% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.5% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 28.6% less in South Carolina
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. New York City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of New York City, you would:
pay 17.5% less for restaurants
|
New York City
|
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) |
$3.09
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.61
|
$2.13
|
|
New York City vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.1% less for groceries
|
New York City
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.75
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.89
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.05
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.20
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.07
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.29
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.08
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$1.38
|
|
New York City vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 29.4% less for transportation
|
New York City
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.47
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$132.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,344.69
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.39
|
$16.34
|
|
New York City vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 28.7% less for housing
|
New York City
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.59
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$4,037.06
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,496.67
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.98
|
$141.20
|
|
New York City vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 61.9% less for childcare
|
New York City
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,154.10
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$57,250.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
New York City vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 43.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York City
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.71
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.00
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$150.04
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$20.00
|
$12.71
|
|
New York City vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 28.6% less for clothing
|
New York City
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.80
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.94
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.58
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$168.76
|
$112.81
|
|
New York City 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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