Cost of living comparison
compared to
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Puerto Rico is 15.1% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.2% less in Puerto Rico
- Groceries
-
pay 3.3% more in Puerto Rico
- Transportation
-
pay 9.0% less in Puerto Rico
- Housing
-
pay 10.4% less in Puerto Rico
- Childcare
-
pay 57.8% less in Puerto Rico
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.0% less in Puerto Rico
- Clothing
-
pay 4.5% more in Puerto Rico
The cost of clothing and groceries in Puerto Rico are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 27.2% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$15.10
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$10.01
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$1.58
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.35
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.3% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.18
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$4.16
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$8.11
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$5.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$3.76
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.54
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.04
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - Cost of groceries
pay 9.0% less for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.65
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$35.20
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$34,700.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$9.22
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - Cost of transportation
pay 10.4% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$62.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$800.93
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$580.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$242.07
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - Cost of housing
pay 57.8% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$453.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$9,760.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - Cost of childcare
pay 9.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$2.73
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$3.38
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$11.21
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$37.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$9.90
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.5% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Puerto Rico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$42.97
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$54.22
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$81.06
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$96.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Puerto Rico - 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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