Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Tennessee Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 3.8% more expensive than Tennessee.
- Restaurants
- pay 9.7% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
- pay 12.2% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
- pay 18.9% more in North Carolina
- Housing
- pay 2.9% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
- pay 16.5% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 1.6% more in North Carolina
- Clothing
- pay 9.8% less in North Carolina
North Carolina vs. Tennessee Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Tennessee, you would:
pay 9.7% less for restaurants
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $18.38 | $17.06 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.61 | $10.47 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.84 | $2.28 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.04 | $1.82 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.2% more for groceries
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.09 | $3.79 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.60 | $6.80 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.94 | $3.73 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.02 | $3.98 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.26 | $5.20 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.81 | $2.47 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.68 | $0.71 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.62 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.00 | $2.38 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.27 | $1.74 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.55 | $1.80 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 18.9% more for transportation
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.85 | $2.98 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $43.19 | $60.67 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,576.40 | $33,588.64 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $15.68 | $19.99 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 2.9% less for housing
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $68.00 | $72.77 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,440.17 | $1,488.15 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,280.54 | $1,261.77 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $166.18 | $132.31 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 16.5% more for childcare
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,018.45 | $1,261.89 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $22,585.44 | $24,633.15 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 1.6% more for entertainment and sports
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.33 | $5.12 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.22 | $4.82 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.78 | $7.77 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $36.70 | $48.40 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.08 | $12.98 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.8% less for clothing
Tennessee | North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $50.54 | $49.30 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $46.28 | $37.76 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $94.58 | $88.37 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $125.74 | $111.01 | |
Tennessee vs. North Carolina - 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: June 2026
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