Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Zealand vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
New Zealand is 2.8% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.1% less in New Zealand
- Groceries
-
pay 15.4% less in New Zealand
- Transportation
-
pay 39.1% more in New Zealand
- Housing
-
pay 34.1% less in New Zealand
- Childcare
-
pay 41.3% less in New Zealand
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 36.0% more in New Zealand
- Clothing
-
pay 13.1% more in New Zealand
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and clothing in New Zealand are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in New Zealand.
New Zealand vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Zealand instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 17.1% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$14.45
NZ$25.01
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$9.14
NZ$15.82
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.11
NZ$3.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.02
NZ$3.49
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.4% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$1.74
NZ$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$3.88
NZ$6.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$6.34
NZ$10.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$5.96
NZ$10.31
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$4.01
NZ$6.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$1.18
NZ$2.04
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.95
NZ$1.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.29
NZ$2.24
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.11
NZ$3.65
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$0.85
NZ$1.47
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.80
NZ$1.38
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - Cost of groceries
pay 39.1% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$6.08
NZ$10.52
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$74.52
NZ$128.99
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$24,777.66
NZ$42,890.20
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$17.81
NZ$30.83
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - Cost of transportation
pay 34.1% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$50.00
NZ$86.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$978.36
NZ$1,693.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$810.06
NZ$1,402.22
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$95.66
NZ$165.59
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - Cost of housing
pay 41.3% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$635.34
NZ$1,099.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$13,463.91
NZ$23,306.07
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - Cost of childcare
pay 36.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.04
NZ$10.46
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$3.35
NZ$5.80
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$23.12
NZ$40.03
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$37.72
NZ$65.30
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$10.72
NZ$18.56
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.1% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$65.22
NZ$112.90
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$39.23
NZ$67.91
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$90.28
NZ$156.27
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$119.43
NZ$206.73
|
|
South Carolina vs. New Zealand - 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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