Cost of living comparison
compared to
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Virginia Beach is 6.7% more expensive than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.1% more in Virginia Beach
- Groceries
-
pay 12.8% less in Virginia Beach
- Transportation
-
pay 14.8% more in Virginia Beach
- Housing
-
pay 1.1% more in Virginia Beach
- Childcare
-
pay 2.4% more in Virginia Beach
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.9% more in Virginia Beach
- Clothing
-
pay 23.5% more in Virginia Beach
The cost of clothing, transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, childcare, and housing in Virginia Beach are more expensive than in South Carolina.
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Virginia Beach instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 4.1% more for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$2.14
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.8% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$5.79
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$3.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$3.09
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$1.16
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$2.29
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.44
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.12
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$35,463.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$15.09
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of transportation
pay 1.1% more for housing
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$66.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$1,751.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$1,423.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$128.02
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of housing
pay 2.4% more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$1,627.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$16,105.33
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of childcare
pay 13.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$5.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$43.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$12.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.5% more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$60.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$47.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$109.45
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$125.00
|
|
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - 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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