Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Washington, DC 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Washington, DC are 5.3% higher than in Charleston, SC (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Washington, DC are 14.4% higher than in Charleston, SC
Rent Prices in Washington, DC are 29.1% higher than in Charleston, SC
Restaurant Prices in Washington, DC are 0.0% lower than in Charleston, SC
Groceries Prices in Washington, DC are 1.9% higher than in Charleston, SC
Local Purchasing Power in Washington, DC is 10.6% higher than in Charleston, SC
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $ 25.00 $      0.0 %
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 $ 9.00 $      +12.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 4.95 $ 5.44 $      +9.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.30 $ 2.48 $      +8.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.00 $ 2.27 $      +13.3 %
Markets
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.74 $ 4.21 $      +12.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.36 $ 3.52 $      +4.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.80 $ 2.17 $      +20.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.31 $ 4.06 $      -5.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.78 $ 6.32 $      +9.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.16 $ 5.60 $      -9.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.24 $ 7.97 $      -3.3 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.47 $ 2.39 $      -31.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.64 $ 0.95 $      +48.7 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.74 $ 2.32 $      -15.4 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.69 $ 2.77 $      +3.0 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.78 $ 1.65 $      -7.2 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.46 $ 1.60 $      +9.7 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $ 2.80 $      +27.2 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.02 $ 2.55 $      +26.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 16.00 $      +6.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.69 $ 2.30 $      +35.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.30 $ 4.63 $      +40.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 7.00 $ 12.11 $      +72.9 %
Transportation
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 $ 2.50 $      +25.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 57.00 $ 80.00 $      +40.4 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 3.50 $      +16.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.52 $ 3.51 $      +39.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 20.00 $ 30.00 $      +50.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.24 $ 3.66 $      +12.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 35,699.74 $ 35,699.74 $      0.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,812.91 $ 26,275.78 $      -2.0 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 266.52 $ 171.50 $      -35.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 69.67 $ 62.18 $      -10.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 69.67 $ 63.57 $      -8.7 %
Sports And Leisure
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 29.00 $ 104.29 $      +259.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 17.50 $ 31.22 $      +78.4 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 13.25 $ 15.00 $      +13.2 %
Childcare
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,540.00 $ 2,326.57 $      +51.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 14,700.00 $ 51,000.00 $      +246.9 %
Clothing And Shoes
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 54.17 $ 74.28 $      +37.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 47.50 $ 50.96 $      +7.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 98.33 $ 113.89 $      +15.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 130.00 $ 170.74 $      +31.3 %
Rent Per Month
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,166.67 $ 2,532.95 $      +16.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,550.00 $ 2,073.47 $      +33.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,320.00 $ 5,436.11 $      +25.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,650.00 $ 3,754.41 $      +41.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 387.98 $ 910.84 $      +134.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 287.98 $ 625.87 $      +117.3 %
Salaries And Financing
Charleston, SC Edit Washington, DC Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,769.06 $ 6,033.45 $      +26.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.59 6.57      -0.3 %
Last update: April 2024April 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:39138