Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 12.2% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.6% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 4.9% less in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 7.7% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 21.5% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 53.1% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.5% more in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 7.6% more in South Dakota
The cost of clothing and entertainment and sports in South Dakota are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, transportation, and groceries are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 12.6% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.69
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.9% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.46
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 7.7% less for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$15.14
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 21.5% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$144.28
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 53.1% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$7,800.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 6.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$11.56
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.6% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$123.62
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Dakota - 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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