Whether you moved here from somewhere else, grew up here, or have even contemplated moving away, you’ve probably been curious how Greenville’s cost of living compares to some of the most sought-after nearby cities.

We did some research (through Payscape + NerdWallet) to see how Greenville stacks up; and here’s what we found.

Charlotte, NC | 1% more expensive

High level, Charlotte and Greenville are pretty comparable. Although our housing costs are 10% lower than that of Charlotte, our utilities cost us 12% more.

According to NerdWallet, an average 2 BR rental is $960 in Greenville vs $1065 in Charlotte, while a median home price (3BR 2 BA) is $240,784 vs. $246,891. Overall, Payscale says it’s a wash.

https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/South-Carolina-Greenville/North-Carolina-Charlotte

Atlanta, GA | 3% more expensive

You probably knew this already, but Greenville is a bit more affordable than Atlanta. With housing costs being 14% less than Atlanta ($240K~ vs $266K~) + transportation and healthcare coming in at 10% and 3% (respectively) less than that of our Georgia neighbor

https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/South-Carolina-Greenville/North-Carolina-Charlotte

Charleston, SC | 9% more expensive

Just about everything in Charleston is more expensive than it is here in Greenville, including a staggering 25% hike in housing costs 😧. That’s $960 vs $1,229 for a 2 BR apt. (rental) and $240K~ vs $293K~ for a 3BR, 2BA home (median home price). I guess they have the beach.

https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/South-Carolina-Charleston/South-Carolina-Greenville

Raleigh, NC | 1% less expensive

This one kind of came as a shocker. The capital of North Carolina, which is a part of the Research Triangle, has a professional hockey team, and three major universities surrounding it is actually less expensive to live in than Greenville. NerdWallet shows that a 2BR apartment in Raleigh will cost you $777 vs $960 here. The median home price (3BR, 2BA) is $213K~ there vs $240K~ here.

https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/North-Carolina-Raleigh/South-Carolina-Greenville

Asheville, NC | 1% more expensive

Although NerdWallet says rental rates in Asheville are actually more affordable than that of Greenville ($869 vs 960), buying a home in Asheville will actually be 13% more expensive ($309K~ vs $240K~). So much for that mountain house…

San Francisco, CA (90% more expensive) + New York, NY (141% more expensive)

This one’s just for fun. In fact, I contemplated making this move (San Francisco) before taking my position with GVLtoday.

You probably already knew it was more expensive to live out west and in the Big Apple, but DYK it was this much more expensive? Not to mention housing itself is 325% more expensive in San Francisco + 504% in NYC than in Greenville.

SF Housing: $3,519 for a 2BR apt. and $1M for a median priced home
NYC Housing: $4,088 for a 2BR apt. and $1.6M for a median priced home