Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 51.7% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2 times more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 8.5% less in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 3.5% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 2.5 times more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 49.5% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.9% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 11.9% less in South Carolina
The cost of housing, restaurants, childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation in South Carolina are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including clothing and groceries are lower in South Carolina. Notably, housing and restaurants are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.06
₩9,413
|
$18.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.17
₩8,222
|
$11.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.53
₩2,037
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
₩1,180
|
$2.14
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.5% less for groceries
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.04
₩4,051
|
$3.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.12
₩8,166
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.23
₩10,971
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.94
₩3,919
|
$4.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.11
₩5,479
|
$6.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.00
₩5,336
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.55
₩2,067
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.00
₩3,996
|
$2.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
₩3,510
|
$2.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.03
₩2,713
|
$1.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
₩1,683
|
$1.72
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 3.5% more for transportation
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.01
₩6,678
|
$3.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.10
₩61,477
|
$57.12
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,394.53
₩38M
|
$33,498.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.59
₩11,459
|
$16.31
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 2.5 times more for housing
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$24.34
₩32,458
|
$69.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$561.73
₩749K
|
$1,550.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$387.83
₩517K
|
$1,238.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.72
₩205K
|
$155.49
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 49.5% more for childcare
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$545.93
₩728K
|
$1,378.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,214.53
₩27M
|
$17,884.58
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 21.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.30
₩4,398
|
$5.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.66
₩4,884
|
$5.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.35
₩4,463
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.32
₩76,432
|
$34.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.28
₩15,047
|
$12.90
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.9% less for clothing
|
South Korea
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.53
₩90,049
|
$49.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.43
₩71,245
|
$37.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.10
₩104K
|
$89.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.84
₩137K
|
$105.99
|
|
South Korea vs. South Carolina - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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