Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 1.6% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.9% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 1.6% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 11.7% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 3.3% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 7.8% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.0% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 1.6% less in South Carolina
The cost of restaurants and housing in South Carolina are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including transportation, childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 12.9% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.13
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.6% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.38
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 11.7% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$16.34
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 3.3% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$141.20
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 7.8% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$19,168.15
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 5.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$12.71
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.6% less for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$112.81
|
|
North Carolina 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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