Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 22.5% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.4% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 1.6% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 21.9% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 36.1% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 28.1% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 33.0% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 21.7% less in South Carolina
Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 15.4% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.13
|
|
San Diego vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.6% less for groceries
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.38
|
|
San Diego vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 21.9% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$16.34
|
|
San Diego vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 36.1% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$141.20
|
|
San Diego vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 28.1% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
San Diego vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 33.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$12.71
|
|
San Diego vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.7% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$112.81
|
|
San Diego 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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