Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 18.2% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.6% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 14.1% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 35.2% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 23.9% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 28.5% more in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 34.7% more in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 18.5% less in Rhode Island
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Rhode Island are more expensive than in South Carolina.
Rhode Island vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 9.6% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.19
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.1% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.70
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 35.2% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$27.61
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 23.9% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$171.52
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 28.5% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$30,000.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 34.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$14.42
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.5% less for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$78.89
|
|
South Carolina vs. Rhode Island - 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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