Cost of living comparison
compared to
Illinois vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Illinois is 6.9% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.1% less in Illinois
- Groceries
-
pay 10.5% less in Illinois
- Transportation
-
pay 17.7% more in Illinois
- Housing
-
pay 4.7% less in Illinois
- Childcare
-
pay 20.4% more in Illinois
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.8% more in Illinois
- Clothing
-
pay 12.6% more in Illinois
The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, and clothing in Illinois are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, and housing are lower in Illinois.
Illinois vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Illinois instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 9.1% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$16.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$10.72
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.52
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.88
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.5% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$3.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$5.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.38
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.05
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.24
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - Cost of groceries
pay 17.7% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$69.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$31,159.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$18.08
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - Cost of transportation
pay 4.7% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$72.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,332.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$1,112.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$151.79
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - Cost of housing
pay 20.4% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,386.42
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$26,426.10
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - Cost of childcare
pay 21.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$5.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.01
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$10.78
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$54.91
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$13.02
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.6% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$55.71
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$43.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$91.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$122.66
|
|
South Carolina vs. Illinois - 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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