Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Charleston vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary
North Charleston is 14.9% cheaper than Sydney.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.0% more in North Charleston
- Groceries
-
pay 9.7% more in North Charleston
- Transportation
-
pay 31.9% less in North Charleston
- Housing
-
pay 11.6% less in North Charleston
- Childcare
-
pay 47.9% less in North Charleston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 41.7% less in North Charleston
- Clothing
-
pay 14.9% less in North Charleston
North Charleston vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Charleston instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 9.0% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.41
A$25.33
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.84
A$17.23
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.81
A$4.09
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.22
A$3.22
|
$2.50
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.7% more for groceries
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.85
A$4.14
|
$3.67
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.93
A$8.64
|
$3.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.42
A$9.34
|
$3.88
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.56
A$8.08
|
$5.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.34
A$6.31
|
$6.58
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.81
A$2.63
|
$3.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.45
A$2.12
|
$0.82
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.56
A$2.27
|
$2.30
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.98
A$2.88
|
$2.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.15
|
$1.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
A$1.56
|
$1.46
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - Cost of groceries
pay 31.9% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.40
A$7.86
|
$3.60
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$151.36
A$220.28
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,893.97
A$42,052.05
|
$35,112.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.24
A$23.63
|
$12.94
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - Cost of transportation
pay 11.6% less for housing
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$56.21
A$81.81
|
$84.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,517.32
A$3,663.68
|
$2,033.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,743.66
A$2,537.71
|
$1,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$168.46
A$245.17
|
$169.89
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - Cost of housing
pay 47.9% less for childcare
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,195.71
A$3,195.62
|
$926.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,441.13
A$41,393.00
|
$18,263.75
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - Cost of childcare
pay 41.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.66
A$11.15
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.97
A$5.78
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$44.55
A$64.84
|
$9.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$75.28
A$109.56
|
$17.49
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.41
A$25.33
|
$14.00
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.9% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$78.68
A$114.50
|
$65.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$69.62
A$101.33
|
$44.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$111.40
A$162.13
|
$112.33
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.24
A$193.91
|
$131.67
|
|
Sydney vs. North Charleston - 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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