Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 44.9% more expensive than South Carolina.
San Diego vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 26.8% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.26
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.29
|
$13.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
|
$2.65
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.5% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.57
|
$5.64
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.52
|
$8.60
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.26
|
$6.96
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.42
|
$6.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.66
|
$2.12
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$0.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.55
|
$1.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.58
|
$2.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.45
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$1.20
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 35.2% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.43
|
$5.99
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$57.12
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,498.60
|
$36,998.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.31
|
$19.48
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 82.8% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.68
|
$85.53
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,550.07
|
$3,232.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,238.74
|
$2,390.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.49
|
$197.48
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 69.3% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,378.67
|
$1,948.90
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,884.58
|
$36,280.62
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 49.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.65
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.60
|
$5.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.89
|
$11.71
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.64
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.90
|
$20.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 36.4% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.47
|
$67.12
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.12
|
$55.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.72
|
$112.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.99
|
$144.96
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: South Carolina vs. San Diego
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 San Diego 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.