Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
United Arab Emirates is 10.8% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 54.5% less in United Arab Emirates
- Groceries
-
pay 34.6% less in United Arab Emirates
- Transportation
-
pay 2.3% less in United Arab Emirates
- Housing
-
pay 0.6% more in United Arab Emirates
- Childcare
-
pay 60.2% less in United Arab Emirates
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 41.8% more in United Arab Emirates
- Clothing
-
pay 33.8% more in United Arab Emirates
The cost of entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing in United Arab Emirates are more expensive than in South Carolina. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 54.5% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$7.91
AED29.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$8.65
AED31.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$1.04
AED3.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$0.50
AED1.85
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of restaurants
pay 34.6% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$1.47
AED5.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$5.36
AED19.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$6.96
AED25.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$2.81
AED10.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$3.68
AED13.51
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$0.98
AED3.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.75
AED2.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$0.73
AED2.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$0.59
AED2.15
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$0.48
AED1.76
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.53
AED1.93
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of groceries
pay 2.3% less for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$2.91
AED10.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$53.10
AED195.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$40,680.12
AED149,397.75
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$8.50
AED31.21
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of transportation
pay 0.6% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$101.41
AED372.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,438.18
AED5,281.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$990.79
AED3,638.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$122.67
AED450.49
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of housing
pay 60.2% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$497.28
AED1,826.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$8,164.49
AED29,984.10
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of childcare
pay 41.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$10.43
AED38.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$4.99
AED18.32
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$6.23
AED22.88
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$75.55
AED277.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$13.19
AED48.44
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 33.8% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$75.04
AED275.58
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$59.50
AED218.51
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$105.66
AED388.03
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$106.53
AED391.23
|
|
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - 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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