Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 10.7% cheaper than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.4% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 10.4% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 23.3% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 17.7% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 18.3% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.7% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 23.6% more in South Carolina
Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, groceries, and restaurants are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 8.4% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.13
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.4% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.38
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 23.3% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$16.34
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 17.7% less for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$141.20
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 18.3% less for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 20.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$12.71
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.6% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$112.81
|
|
Rhode Island 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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