Cost of living comparison
compared to
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Northern Mariana Islands is 9.1% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.0% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 21.2% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 44.4% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Housing
-
pay 14.3% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 68.7% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.2% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 24.2% less in Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 27.0% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$11.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$1.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.32
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.2% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$8.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$6.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.03
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 44.4% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$5.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$36,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$21.41
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 14.3% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$450.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$254.42
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing
pay 68.7% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$6,000.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 5.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$47.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$8.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.2% less for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$55.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands - 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: April 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: South Carolina vs. Northern Mariana Islands
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Northern Mariana Islands?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 2 statistics
Be 71.1% less likely to have internet access in Northern Mariana Islands
→
Size Comparison · See true size
South Carolina is about 168 times bigger than Northern Mariana Islands.
→
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Northern Mariana Islands.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Northern Mariana Islands or South Carolina. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.