Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 3.5% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.3% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 2.8% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 14.6% more in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 2.7% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 11.1% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.2% more in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 1.7% more in North Carolina
The cost of transportation, childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing in North Carolina are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including restaurants and housing are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 11.3% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.82
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.8% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.80
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 14.6% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$19.99
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 2.7% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$132.31
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 11.1% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$24,633.15
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 8.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$12.98
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.7% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$111.01
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Carolina - 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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