Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 26.6% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2% more in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 14.7% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 45.9% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 16.4% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 46.3% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 38.0% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 22.9% more in New Jersey
The cost of childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, housing, and groceries in New Jersey are more expensive than in South Carolina.
New Jersey vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 2.2% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.04
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.7% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.60
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 45.9% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$19.75
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 16.4% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$126.74
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 46.3% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$27,267.62
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 38.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$16.52
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 22.9% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$136.81
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Jersey - 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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