Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 11.9% cheaper than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.9% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 4.5% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 21.2% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 6.3% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 23.9% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.9% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 5.2% less in South Carolina
Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of New York, you would:
pay 2.9% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.13
|
|
New York vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.5% less for groceries
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.38
|
|
New York vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 21.2% less for transportation
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$16.34
|
|
New York vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 6.3% less for housing
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$141.20
|
|
New York vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 23.9% less for childcare
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$19,168.15
|
|
New York vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 24.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$12.71
|
|
New York vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.2% less for clothing
|
New York
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$112.81
|
|
New York 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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