Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sydney vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Sydney is 31.0% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.8% less in Sydney
- Groceries
-
pay 4.6% less in Sydney
- Transportation
-
pay 75.4% more in Sydney
- Housing
-
pay 7.5% more in Sydney
- Childcare
-
pay 24.9% more in Sydney
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 85.7% more in Sydney
- Clothing
-
pay 37.2% more in Sydney
The cost of entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, childcare, and housing in Sydney are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including restaurants and groceries are lower in Sydney. Notably, entertainment and sports and transportation are significantly more expensive in Sydney.
Sydney vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sydney instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 8.8% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$16.35
A$24.62
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$9.81
A$14.77
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.60
A$3.91
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.00
A$3.01
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.6% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$2.63
A$3.96
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$4.92
A$7.41
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$6.66
A$10.03
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$5.21
A$7.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$3.86
A$5.81
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$1.46
A$2.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.25
A$1.88
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.39
A$2.09
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.07
A$3.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.10
A$1.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.06
A$1.59
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - Cost of groceries
pay 75.4% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$4.66
A$7.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$142.21
A$214.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$23.55
A$35.46
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - Cost of transportation
pay 7.5% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$52.18
A$78.56
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$2,157.42
A$3,248.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$1,515.46
A$2,281.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$147.91
A$222.69
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - Cost of housing
pay 24.9% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$2,079.13
A$3,130.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$18,278.49
A$27,519.57
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - Cost of childcare
pay 85.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.54
A$9.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$3.48
A$5.24
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$32.71
A$49.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$66.50
A$100.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$13.74
A$20.68
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 37.2% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$75.03
A$112.97
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$61.01
A$91.85
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$101.79
A$153.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$122.15
A$183.91
|
|
South Carolina vs. Sydney - 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Australia.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Australia.
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 Sydney 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.