Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
California is 24.1% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.0% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 7.4% more in California
- Transportation
-
pay 30.9% more in California
- Housing
-
pay 30.9% more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 39.8% more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 42.8% more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 8.9% more in California
The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, housing, clothing, and restaurants in California are more expensive than in South Carolina.
California vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 8.0% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$21.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$12.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.79
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.17
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.4% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$6.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$5.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.41
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 30.9% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$4.72
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$63.04
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$30,529.84
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$21.43
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 30.9% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$67.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$2,385.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$2,043.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$171.94
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 39.8% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,633.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$30,339.97
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 42.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$7.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$10.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$68.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$14.99
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.9% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$56.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$40.47
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$87.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$119.94
|
|
South Carolina vs. California - 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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