Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 5.6% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.1% less in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 17.4% less in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 8.4% less in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 19.3% less in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 7.9% less in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.4% more in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 4.5% more in Iowa
The cost of entertainment and sports and clothing in Iowa are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including housing, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and childcare are lower in Iowa.
Iowa vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 11.1% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.82
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.4% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.30
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
pay 8.4% less for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$15.46
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
pay 19.3% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$133.13
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
pay 7.9% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$18,898.50
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
pay 20.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$13.58
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.5% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$106.86
|
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa - 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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