Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Rochester Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 1.9% more expensive than Rochester.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.5% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 13.1% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 4.8% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 17.7% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 17.6% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.6% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 19.9% more in South Carolina
South Carolina vs. Rochester Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Rochester, you would:
pay 4.5% less for restaurants
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.29
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.88
|
$2.13
|
|
Rochester vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.1% more for groceries
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.49
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.61
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.00
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.51
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.15
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.65
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.68
|
$1.38
|
|
Rochester vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 4.8% less for transportation
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.35
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,344.69
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.41
|
$16.34
|
|
Rochester vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 17.7% more for housing
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.66
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,462.00
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,132.00
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.45
|
$141.20
|
|
Rochester vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 17.6% less for childcare
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,356.50
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,200.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Rochester vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 10.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.25
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.00
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$15.00
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.33
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.50
|
$12.71
|
|
Rochester vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.9% more for clothing
|
Rochester
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$40.71
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$33.30
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.47
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$87.50
|
$112.81
|
|
Rochester 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: April 2026
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