Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 2.6% cheaper than Virginia Beach.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.9% less in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 25.0% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 9.9% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 0.6% less in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 0.8% more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.1% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 18.7% less in South Carolina
The cost of groceries and childcare in South Carolina are more expensive than in Virginia Beach. Expenses including clothing, entertainment and sports, transportation, restaurants, and housing are lower in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Virginia Beach Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Virginia Beach, you would:
pay 3.9% less for restaurants
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
|
$2.13
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.0% more for groceries
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.42
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.79
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.69
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.86
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.09
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.72
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.29
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.04
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.38
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 9.9% less for transportation
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.12
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,463.99
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.09
|
$16.34
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 0.6% less for housing
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.07
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,751.40
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,423.80
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$128.02
|
$141.20
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 0.8% more for childcare
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,627.78
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,105.33
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 11.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.73
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.75
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$12.71
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.7% less for clothing
|
Virginia Beach
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.92
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.33
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$109.45
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.00
|
$112.81
|
|
Virginia Beach 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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