Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 23.6% more expensive than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 21.6% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 44.5% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 16.2% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 52.9% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 77.2% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.9% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 10.9% less in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, and restaurants in South Carolina are more expensive than in New Zealand. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in South Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 21.6% more for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.45
NZ$25.01
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.14
NZ$15.82
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.11
NZ$3.65
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
NZ$3.49
|
$2.13
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 44.5% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.74
NZ$3.01
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
NZ$6.72
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.34
NZ$10.97
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.96
NZ$10.31
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.01
NZ$6.93
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
NZ$2.04
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
NZ$1.65
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
NZ$2.24
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.11
NZ$3.65
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
NZ$1.47
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
NZ$1.38
|
$1.38
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 16.2% less for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.08
NZ$10.52
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$74.52
NZ$128.99
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,777.66
NZ$42,890.20
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.81
NZ$30.83
|
$16.34
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 52.9% more for housing
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.00
NZ$86.54
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$978.36
NZ$1,693.54
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$810.06
NZ$1,402.22
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.66
NZ$165.59
|
$141.20
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 77.2% more for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$635.34
NZ$1,099.78
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,463.91
NZ$23,306.07
|
$19,168.15
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 3.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.04
NZ$10.46
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
NZ$5.80
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.12
NZ$40.03
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.72
NZ$65.30
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
NZ$18.56
|
$12.71
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.9% less for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.22
NZ$112.90
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.23
NZ$67.91
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.28
NZ$156.27
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.43
NZ$206.73
|
$112.81
|
|
New Zealand 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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