Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 43.9% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.4% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 16.3% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 25.2% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 30.6% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 2.0 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 77.3% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 32.1% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, housing, transportation, and restaurants in District of Columbia are more expensive than in South Carolina. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 22.4% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.79
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.3% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.64
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 25.2% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$16.73
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 30.6% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$146.54
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$40,166.67
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 77.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$16.75
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 32.1% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$133.22
|
|
South Carolina vs. District of Columbia - 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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