Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Boston, MA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Boston, MA are 9.9% higher than in Charleston, SC (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Boston, MA are 18.5% higher than in Charleston, SC
Rent Prices in Boston, MA are 32.2% higher than in Charleston, SC
Restaurant Prices in Boston, MA are 2.8% lower than in Charleston, SC
Groceries Prices in Boston, MA are 17.3% higher than in Charleston, SC
Local Purchasing Power in Boston, MA is 0.7% lower than in Charleston, SC
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $ 22.50 $      -10.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 110.00 $ 100.00 $      -9.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 12.00 $      +20.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.50 $ 8.00 $      +23.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 10.00 $      +25.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 4.95 $ 5.65 $      +14.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.30 $ 2.80 $      +22.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.00 $ 2.51 $      +25.6 %
Markets
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.74 $ 4.84 $      +29.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.36 $ 4.00 $      +19.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.80 $ 2.77 $      +54.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.31 $ 4.79 $      +11.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.78 $ 9.50 $      +64.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.16 $ 6.42 $      +4.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.24 $ 9.43 $      +14.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.47 $ 2.59 $      -25.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.64 $ 0.96 $      +50.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.74 $ 2.83 $      +3.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.69 $ 2.95 $      +9.8 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.78 $ 1.72 $      -3.0 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.46 $ 1.70 $      +16.7 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $ 2.75 $      +25.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.02 $ 2.53 $      +25.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.69 $ 1.90 $      +12.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.30 $ 5.25 $      +59.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 7.00 $ 13.66 $      +95.1 %
Transportation
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 $ 2.40 $      +20.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 57.00 $ 90.00 $      +57.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 2.80 $      -6.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.52 $ 2.80 $      +11.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 20.00 $ 28.00 $      +40.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.24 $ 3.58 $      +10.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 35,699.74 $ 30,000.00 $      -16.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,812.91 $ 24,095.29 $      -10.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 266.52 $ 197.39 $      -25.9 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 69.67 $ 57.11 $      -18.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 69.67 $ 69.92 $      +0.4 %
Sports And Leisure
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 29.00 $ 95.56 $      +229.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 17.50 $ 26.00 $      +48.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 13.25 $ 16.00 $      +20.8 %
Childcare
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,540.00 $ 2,416.67 $      +56.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 14,700.00 $ 28,000.00 $      +90.5 %
Clothing And Shoes
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 54.17 $ 58.78 $      +8.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 47.50 $ 44.64 $      -6.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 98.33 $ 92.89 $      -5.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 130.00 $ 155.69 $      +19.8 %
Rent Per Month
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,166.67 $ 3,131.60 $      +44.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,550.00 $ 2,256.09 $      +45.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,320.00 $ 5,183.91 $      +20.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,650.00 $ 3,561.36 $      +34.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 387.98 $ 846.53 $      +118.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 287.98 $ 465.08 $      +61.5 %
Salaries And Financing
Charleston, SC Edit Boston, MA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,769.06 $ 5,607.52 $      +17.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.59 6.55      -0.7 %
Last update: May 2024April 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:39141