Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 20.6% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 25.2% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 1.1% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 11.3% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 37.1% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 21.1% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.8% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 20.7% less in North Carolina
Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 25.2% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$1.82
|
|
San Diego vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.1% more for groceries
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.80
|
|
San Diego vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 11.3% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$19.99
|
|
San Diego vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 37.1% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$132.31
|
|
San Diego vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 21.1% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
San Diego vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 29.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$12.98
|
|
San Diego vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.7% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$111.01
|
|
San Diego vs. North 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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