Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. North Charleston Cost of Living Summary
United States is 6.4% more expensive than North Charleston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.8% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 10.5% less in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 12.4% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 13.2% less in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 31.3% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.9% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 2.2% less in United States
The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, and transportation in United States are more expensive than in North Charleston. Expenses including housing, restaurants, groceries, and clothing are lower in United States.
United States vs. North Charleston Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of North Charleston, you would:
pay 12.8% less for restaurants
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.50
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.00
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.00
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.5% less for groceries
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.67
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.93
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.73
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.25
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.04
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
|
$1.38
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 12.4% more for transportation
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.99
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$17.61
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 13.2% less for housing
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$83.60
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,026.67
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,500.00
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$170.33
|
$150.19
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 31.3% more for childcare
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,366.67
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,400.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 39.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.92
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.00
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$17.49
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.00
|
$13.64
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.2% less for clothing
|
North Charleston
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.00
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.00
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.80
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.50
|
$112.04
|
|
North Charleston vs. United States - 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
Change currency:
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 United States or North Charleston. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.