Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 52.0% more expensive than Northern Mariana Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 45.1% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 4.6% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 27.2% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 81.1% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 3.2 times more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.2% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 45.6% more in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, housing, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in South Carolina are more expensive than in Northern Mariana Islands. Expenses including transportation and groceries are lower in South Carolina. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Northern Mariana Islands, you would:
pay 45.1% more for restaurants
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.50
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.32
|
$2.13
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.6% less for groceries
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.33
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.44
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.33
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.03
|
$1.38
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 27.2% less for transportation
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,999.00
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.41
|
$16.34
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 81.1% more for housing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.00
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$625.00
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$450.00
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$254.42
|
$141.20
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,000.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 4.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.12
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.50
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.00
|
$12.71
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 45.6% more for clothing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$30.00
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.00
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$55.00
|
$112.81
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands 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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