Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 5.9% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 3.3% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 12.5% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 4.4% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 10.1% less in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.9% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 4.8% less in South Carolina
The cost of groceries and restaurants in South Carolina are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including entertainment and sports, transportation, childcare, clothing, and housing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of United States, you would:
pay 2.2% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.13
|
|
United States vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.3% more for groceries
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.38
|
|
United States vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 12.5% less for transportation
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$16.34
|
|
United States vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 4.4% less for housing
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$141.20
|
|
United States vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 10.1% less for childcare
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$19,168.15
|
|
United States vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 14.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$12.71
|
|
United States vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.8% less for clothing
|
United States
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$112.81
|
|
United States vs. South 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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