Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 42.4% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 41.1% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 11.0% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 20.7% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 49.7% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.4% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 1.1% more in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and groceries in South Carolina are more expensive than in Puerto Rico. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
pay 41.1% more for restaurants
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.10
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.01
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.58
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.35
|
$2.13
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.0% more for groceries
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.18
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.16
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.11
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.34
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.76
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.06
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.65
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
|
$1.38
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 20.7% more for transportation
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.65
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.20
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,700.00
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.22
|
$16.34
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 49.7% more for housing
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.46
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$800.93
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$580.00
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$242.07
|
$141.20
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$453.00
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,760.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 26.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.73
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.38
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.21
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.37
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.90
|
$12.71
|
|
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.1% more for clothing
|
Puerto Rico
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.97
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.22
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.06
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.00
|
$112.81
|
|
Puerto Rico 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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