Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and York

For one person, living costs are similar in Columbia, SC and in York: $2,222 and $2,187 a month, rent and utilities included.

108

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
Learn more

Columbia, SC Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in York
Learn more

York Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

York

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Columbia, SC and in York

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Columbia, SC and in York actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Columbia, SC versus $2,187 in York.

Columbia, SC $2,222
York $2,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,421 in Columbia, SC versus $3,476 in York.

Columbia, SC $3,421
York $3,476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,621 in Columbia, SC versus $4,765 in York.

Columbia, SC $4,621
York $4,765

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 2% more expensive than in York, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, SC 65% above, York 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 $20.14

$26.73 £20.05

-24.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 $59.6

$88.3 £66.2

-32.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.54 £7.91

12.14%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$4.97 £3.73

8.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.67 £2.01

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.81 £1.36

20.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 $5.59

$6.49 £4.87

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 $6.43

$6.52 £4.89

-1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.64 £1.23

-51.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.52 £1.14

69.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.96 £1.47

143.88%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$3.69 £2.77

9.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$8.80 £6.60

17.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$8.16 £6.12

39.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 $16.28

$9.91 £7.43

64.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.32 £2.49

59.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.95 £1.46

-15.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$2.35 £1.76

182.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.69 £3.52

25.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.04 £2.28

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.63 £1.23

158.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.48 £1.11

35.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.41 £1.06

21.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.48 $8.48

$23.35 £17.52

-63.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 $16.20

$11.96 £8.97

35.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$4.05 £3.04

-53.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$4.73 £3.55

-41.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.91 £2.93

-47.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.69 $39.69

$114 £85.7

-65.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$4.38 £3.29

-54.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.67 £2.00

-43.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.24 $18.24

$19.02 £14.27

-4.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.01 £1.51

-54.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.2K $35.2K

$37.6K £28.2K

-6.58%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.1K $25.1K

$39.8K £29.9K

-36.95%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$279 $279

$200 £150

39.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.1 $59.1

$16.63 £12.48

255.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 $63.2

$47.71 £35.79

32.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 $36.80

$48.89 £36.68

-24.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.86 $17.86

$23.91 £17.94

-25.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.30 $15.30

$13.03 £9.78

17.42%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,128 $1,128

$1,627 £1,220

-30.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$16.1K £12.1K

38.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$60.8 £45.64

-15.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 $39.54

$37.10 £27.83

6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 $81.7

$76.9 £57.7

6.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$78.5 £58.9

46.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 $1,253

$1,226 £920

2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$853 $853

$917 £688

-6.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$2,502 £1,877

-14.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,747 $1,747

$1,875 £1,407

-6.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,153 $2,153

$4,897 £3,674

-56.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,636 $1,636

$3,877 £2,908

-57.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,287 $3,287

$3,465 £2,600

-5.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.61

16.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 11, 2026

Last update for York: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, SC

$853 38.4%

York

$917 41.9% 7.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$401 18.1%

York

$265 12.1% 34% $137

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$392 17.7%

York

$301 13.8% 23.2% $91

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$321 14.5%

York

$369 16.9% 14.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$129 5.8%

York

$114 5.2% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$67 3%

York

$75 3.4% 11.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$57 2.6%

York

$148 6.8% 157% $90

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Columbia, SC and $1,226 in York. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

York pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Columbia, SC vs $88.0 in York. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $301, with York cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇬🇧 York

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

16:52 4:52 PM

5 h ahead of Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

137,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, SC York 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, SC
York

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Columbia, SC vs York: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

York is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in York. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,253 in Columbia, SC versus $1,226 in York. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Columbia, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in York – a meal for two runs $88.0 versus $60.0 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,187 in York versus $2,222 in Columbia, SC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in York but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. The gap between the two cities makes York the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, York is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Columbia, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Columbia, SC and York are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find York gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.