Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Charleston vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
North Charleston is 1.0% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.1% more in North Charleston
- Groceries
-
pay 15.5% more in North Charleston
- Transportation
-
pay 9.5% less in North Charleston
- Housing
-
pay 15.6% more in North Charleston
- Childcare
-
pay 19.7% less in North Charleston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.0% less in North Charleston
- Clothing
-
pay 3.3% more in North Charleston
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, and clothing in North Charleston are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in North Charleston.
North Charleston vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Charleston instead of United States, you would:
pay 15.1% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$21.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.50
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.5% more for groceries
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.67
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$7.93
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.73
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$6.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$4.04
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.12
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.47
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.15
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - Cost of groceries
pay 9.5% less for transportation
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.99
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$15.53
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - Cost of transportation
pay 15.6% more for housing
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$83.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$2,026.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$170.33
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - Cost of housing
pay 19.7% less for childcare
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,366.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$14,400.00
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - Cost of childcare
pay 13.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$17.49
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$14.00
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.3% more for clothing
|
United States
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$36.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$95.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$123.50
|
|
United States vs. North Charleston - 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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