Columbia, SC Cost Of Living

Demographics | Crime | Cost Of Living
Updated: 2022-04-07
98
Columbia's Overall Cost Of Living
1.0x
Lower Than The National Average
72 out of 99
In South Carolina
2,890 out of 6,412
In America
The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in America. An index above 100 means Columbia is expensive, while a number below 100 means it's a relatively cheap place to live.

What is the cost of living in Columbia, SC?

According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Columbia has an overall cost of living index of 98 which is 1.0x lower than the national index of 100.

Compared to only South Carolina, Columbia has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than South Carolina's index of 93.

The standard of living in Columbia ranks as #2,890 most affordable out of the 6,418 places we measured in South Carolina. By definition, that implies Columbia ranks as the #3,528 most expensive place in the Palmetto State.

For more reading on life in Columbia, check out:

Columbia Cost Of Living Vs. South Carolina

Living Expense Columbia South Carolina National Average
Overall 98 93 100
Services 95 98 100
Groceries 105 105 100
Health 71 95 100
Housing 91 80 100
Transportation 85 94 100
Utilities 129 105 100
For more reading on cost of living around South Carolina, check out:
Columbia Cost of Living Vs. SC

Columbia, SC Housing Cost Breakdown

Housing swings affordability the most between places in South Carolina, so we broke down the statistics around housing costs into more detail. It's also important to consider median household incomes to make apples-to-apples comparisons across locations.

Home and income come data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2014-2018.

$186,000
Median Home Value
$956
Median Rent
$47,416
Median Income
Statistic Columbia South Carolina United States
Median Home Value $186,000 $170,100 $229,800
Median Rent $956 $918 $1,096
Median Income $47,416 $54,864 $64,994
Home Value To Income 3.9x 3.1x 3.5x
Rent To Monthly Income 0.24x 0.2x 0.2x

Detailed Columbia Services Costs Vs. South Carolina

Item Columbia South Carolina
Shampoo $1.01 $1.06
Movie $11.12 $10.68
Bowling $13.83 $14.67

Detailed Columbia Groceries Costs Vs. South Carolina

Item Columbia South Carolina
Ground Beef $4.57 $4.22
Fried Chicken $1.4 $1.39
Milk $2.19 $2.05

Detailed Columbia Health Costs Vs. South Carolina

Item Columbia South Carolina
Haircut $14.0 $18.62
Beauty Salon $41.63 $39.05
Toothpaste $2.26 $2.34

Detailed Columbia Transportation Costs Vs. South Carolina

Item Columbia South Carolina
Potatoes $3.78 $3.29
Pizza $10.72 $10.62
Beer $10.3 $9.38
Optometrist $51.67 $108.57
Doctor $102.0 $116.17
Dentist $59.0 $99.13

Detailed Columbia Utilities Costs Vs. South Carolina

Item Columbia South Carolina
Gasoline $2.0 $2.22
Tire Balancing $40.0 $50.07
All Electricity $248.45 $167.67
Phone $185.81 $175.64

Columbia SnackAbility

4
/10
Overall SnackAbility
Jobs
5/10
Housing
8
Affordability
5
Diversity
9
Safety
3
Amenities
8.5
Education
8
Commute
9.5

Cost Of Living In Cities Around Columbia

City Population Cost Of Living Vs. Columbia
Lexington, SC 21,847 99 1.0x
St. Andrews, SC 21,355 87 0.9x
West Columbia, SC 17,782 94 1.0x
Seven Oaks, SC 16,743 92 0.9x
Dentsville, SC 15,537 88 0.9x
Cayce, SC 13,964 90 0.9x
Irmo, SC 12,397 94 1.0x
Oak Grove, SC 12,040 93 0.9x
Forest Acres, SC 10,300 99 1.0x
Woodfield, SC 9,361 90 0.9x

Articles About South Carolina

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