Cost of living comparison

 Florida, USA
compared to
North Carolina vs. Florida Cost of Living Summary

North Carolina is 3.5% more expensive than Florida.

Restaurants
pay 11.7% less in North Carolina
Groceries
pay 3.0% less in North Carolina
Transportation
pay 2.8% more in North Carolina
Housing
pay 9.6% less in North Carolina
Childcare
pay 44.5% more in North Carolina
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.9% more in North Carolina
Clothing
pay 0.2% less in North Carolina

The cost of childcare, transportation, and entertainment and sports in North Carolina are more expensive than in Florida. Expenses including restaurants, housing, groceries, and clothing are lower in North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Florida Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Carolina instead of Florida, you would:

pay 11.7% less for restaurants

 
Florida
North Carolina
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $19.47
 
$16.06
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.18
 
$10.06
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.61
 
$2.31
 

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pay 3.0% less for groceries

 
Florida
North Carolina
Bread
1 loaf
$3.56
 
$3.48
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.40
 
$6.25
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.19
 
$3.46
 

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pay 2.8% more for transportation

 
Florida
North Carolina
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.36
 
$3.19
 
Monthly public transit pass $61.15
 
$53.89
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,918.41
 
$34,400.31
 

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pay 9.6% less for housing

 
Florida
North Carolina
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$64.97
 
$72.47
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,891.59
 
$1,527.81
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,611.24
 
$1,294.23
 

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pay 44.5% more for childcare

 
Florida
North Carolina
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $923.14
 
$1,254.70
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $16,426.17
 
$25,128.75
 

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pay 1.9% more for entertainment and sports

 
Florida
North Carolina
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.61
 
$5.09
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.94
 
$4.89
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.80
 
$7.33
 

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pay 0.2% less for clothing

 
Florida
North Carolina
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$49.20
 
$49.88
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.16
 
$37.28
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.28
 
$86.65
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: February 2025
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