Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Portugal Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 49.2% more expensive than Portugal overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.5% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 76.7% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 5.1% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 62.4% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 60.0% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 11.2% less in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in South Carolina are more expensive than in Portugal. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in South Carolina. Notably, childcare and groceries are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Portugal Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Portugal, you would:
pay 38.5% more for restaurants
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.13
€11.33
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.44
€8.14
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
€1.66
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.40
€1.20
|
$2.13
|
|
Portugal vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 76.7% more for groceries
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.52
€1.31
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.73
€4.94
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.12
€3.55
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.14
€2.71
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.42
€2.95
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.06
€0.91
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
€0.58
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.84
€0.73
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
€1.01
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.74
€0.64
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.90
€0.78
|
$1.38
|
|
Portugal vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 5.1% less for transportation
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.46
€6.43
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.12
€33.73
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,916.24
€30,109.22
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.78
€11.02
|
$16.34
|
|
Portugal vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 62.4% more for housing
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.01
€35.37
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$954.63
€823.21
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$787.92
€679.44
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.92
€82.71
|
$141.20
|
|
Portugal vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$512.86
€442.26
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,479.69
€9,036.92
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Portugal vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 60.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.56
€2.21
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
€1.76
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.30
€5.43
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.69
€38.54
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.76
€7.55
|
$12.71
|
|
Portugal vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.2% less for clothing
|
Portugal
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$82.22
€70.90
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.56
€34.11
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.53
€77.20
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.44
€89.20
|
$112.81
|
|
Portugal 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Portugal vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Portugal and United States.
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 South Carolina or Portugal. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.