Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kentucky vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Kentucky is 8.0% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.4% less in Kentucky
- Groceries
-
pay 16.1% less in Kentucky
- Transportation
-
pay 3.8% less in Kentucky
- Housing
-
pay 15.4% less in Kentucky
- Childcare
-
pay 1.2% more in Kentucky
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.5% less in Kentucky
- Clothing
-
pay 3.9% less in Kentucky
Expenses including groceries, housing, restaurants, clothing, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Kentucky.
Kentucky vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kentucky instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 14.4% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$15.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$9.59
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.87
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.1% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$2.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$5.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$3.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$4.82
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.66
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.29
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - Cost of groceries
pay 3.8% less for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$2.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$39.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$35,897.72
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$14.64
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - Cost of transportation
pay 15.4% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$65.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,095.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$954.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$143.50
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - Cost of housing
pay 1.2% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,283.80
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$20,534.67
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - Cost of childcare
pay 3.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$4.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$4.94
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$7.93
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$30.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$12.61
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.9% less for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$45.82
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$36.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$88.57
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$97.91
|
|
South Carolina vs. Kentucky - 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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