Cost Of Living in Clearwater, SC

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Clearwater	South Carolina	National
Cost of living	85	93	100
Goods & Services	92	100	100
Groceries	96	99	100
Health care	82	94	100
Housing	72	80	100
Transportation	89	91	100
Utilities	84	107	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Clearwater is 9% lower than the South Carolina average
The cost of living in Clearwater is 15% lower than the national average
Clearwater housing is 28% lower than the national average
South Carolina general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
South Carolina state income tax is 100% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$56,591	$4,716	$1,320	$1,698
Renters	$27,643	$2,304	$645	$829

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Clearwater, SC, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Clearwater have a median income of $56,591. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,320 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $27,643, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $645.

South Carolina Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
South Carolina	6%	9%

South Carolina Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
South Carolina	0%	6.5%

Goods & Services

Item	Clearwater	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$26.67	$24.26	9.9%
Beauty Salon	$39.50	$45.56	13.3%
Toothpaste	$3.65	$3.70	1.3%
Shampoo	$1.13	$1.28	12.0%
Movie	$15.61	$12.13	28.7%
Bowling	$20.92	$18.00	16.2%

Groceries

Item	Clearwater	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.52	$5.84	5.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.67	$1.57	6.2%
Milk	$4.53	$4.67	3.0%
Potatoes	$5.41	$4.93	9.6%
Pizza	$13.16	$12.09	8.9%
Beer	$10.06	$10.41	3.4%

Health Care

Item	Clearwater	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$69.88	$125.68	44.4%
Doctor	$179.92	$135.78	32.5%
Dentist	$199.00	$113.29	75.7%
Ibuprofen	$10.12	$10.65	5.0%
Lipitor	$496.43	$468.60	5.9%

Housing

Item	Clearwater	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$131,100.00	$184,700.00	29.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,929.91	$2,346.69	17.8%
Apartment Rent	$704.00	$949.00	25.8%

Transportation

Item	Clearwater	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.24	$3.46	6.3%
Tire Balancing	$52.38	$59.92	12.6%

Utilities

Item	Clearwater	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$149.68	$193.99	22.8%
Phone	$189.47	$192.25	1.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Clarks Hill, SC	195	91	9.5%
Langley, SC	2,179	75	24.9%
Warrenville, SC	740	76	23.9%
Gloverville, SC	3,008	78	21.8%
New Ellenton, SC	2,159	80	19.7%
Clearwater, SC	4,060	85	15.1%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Dannemora, NY	4,060	96	4.4%
San Castle, FL	4,061	101	0.5%
Boyertown, PA	4,061	99	1.0%
Central Kootenay E, BC	4,061	n/a
Newcomerstown, OH	4,058	82	18.1%
Clearwater, SC	4,060	85	15.1%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Clearwater, SC