Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. San Francisco Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 32.5% cheaper than San Francisco.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.1% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 25.3% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 29.8% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 32.2% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 56.4% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 37.6% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 21.9% less in South Carolina
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, groceries, and restaurants are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. San Francisco Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 24.1% less for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.30
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.13
|
|
San Francisco vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.3% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.06
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.69
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.85
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.26
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.22
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.38
|
|
San Francisco vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 29.8% less for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.89
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.31
|
$16.34
|
|
San Francisco vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 32.2% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.78
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,446.66
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,736.00
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.63
|
$141.20
|
|
San Francisco vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 56.4% less for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,236.11
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,000.00
|
$19,168.15
|
|
San Francisco vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 37.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.98
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$109.64
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$12.71
|
|
San Francisco vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.9% less for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.82
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.00
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.67
|
$112.81
|
|
San Francisco 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Carolina or San Francisco. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.