Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 73.1% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 21.4% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 33.7% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 63.2% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 61.5% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.7 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.2 times more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 40.3% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, housing, clothing, and groceries in New York City are more expensive than in South Carolina. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 21.4% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.61
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 33.7% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.78
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 63.2% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$22.39
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 61.5% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$151.98
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$57,250.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$20.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 40.3% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$168.76
|
|
South Carolina vs. New York City - 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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