Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 35.4% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.0% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 6.1% more in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 34.1% more in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 61.5% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 40.0% more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 56.6% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 30.4% more in San Diego
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in San Diego are more expensive than in South Carolina.
San Diego vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 19.0% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.50
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.1% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.12
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 34.1% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$19.40
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 61.5% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$205.84
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 40.0% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$28,750.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 56.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$17.50
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.4% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$126.25
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Diego - 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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