Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. United Kingdom Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 3.5% more expensive than United Kingdom overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.5% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 62.7% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 28.6% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 16.2% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 4.8% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.2% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 13.8% less in North Carolina
The cost of groceries, housing, and childcare in North Carolina are more expensive than in United Kingdom. Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. United Kingdom Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of United Kingdom, you would:
pay 0.5% less for restaurants
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.41
£15.41
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.94
£7.51
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
£1.75
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.65
£1.24
|
$1.82
|
|
United Kingdom vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 62.7% more for groceries
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
£1.20
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
£3.55
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.20
£4.68
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
£2.92
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.32
£1.00
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
£0.55
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.28
£0.97
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
£1.13
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
£0.54
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.71
£0.54
|
$1.80
|
|
United Kingdom vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 28.6% less for transportation
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.22
£5.45
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.05
£74.80
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,224.29
£27,355.86
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.08
£16.67
|
$19.99
|
|
United Kingdom vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 16.2% more for housing
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.90
£31.64
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,285.79
£971.00
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,062.09
£802.07
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$233.57
£176.39
|
$132.31
|
|
United Kingdom vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 4.8% more for childcare
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,530.71
£1,155.97
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,375.12
£14,631.70
|
$24,633.15
|
|
United Kingdom vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 16.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
£4.79
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.54
£3.43
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.18
£14.48
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.26
£37.20
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.88
£10.48
|
$12.98
|
|
United Kingdom vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.8% less for clothing
|
United Kingdom
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.00
£64.94
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.20
£33.38
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.21
£71.90
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.36
£76.54
|
$111.01
|
|
United Kingdom 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: December 2025
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