Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 42.6% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.7% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 27.0% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 29.6% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 58.0% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 75.5% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 62.5% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 31.0% more in Boston
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, transportation, and groceries in Boston are more expensive than in South Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 14.7% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.40
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.0% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.81
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 29.6% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$16.52
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 58.0% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$153.30
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 75.5% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$27,500.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 62.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$15.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.0% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$152.08
|
|
South Carolina vs. Boston - 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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