Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 61.0% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.1% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 39.8% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 49.9% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 61.9% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 83.6% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 28.8% more in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, groceries, and restaurants in San Francisco are more expensive than in South Carolina. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in San Francisco.
San Francisco vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 33.1% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.59
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 39.8% more for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.81
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 49.9% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$20.31
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 61.9% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$179.63
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$42,000.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 83.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$17.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 28.8% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$133.67
|
|
South Carolina vs. San Francisco - 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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