Cost Of Living in Lancaster, 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	Lancaster	South Carolina	National
Cost of living	94	93	100
Goods & Services	103	100	100
Groceries	100	99	100
Health care	111	94	100
Housing	83	80	100
Transportation	94	91	100
Utilities	89	107	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Lancaster is 1% higher than the South Carolina average
The cost of living in Lancaster is 6% lower than the national average
Lancaster housing is 17% 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	$62,214	$5,185	$1,452	$1,867
Renters	$19,884	$1,657	$464	$597

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster have a median income of $62,214. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,452 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $19,884, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $464.

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	Lancaster	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$18.25	$24.26	24.8%
Beauty Salon	$59.75	$45.56	31.1%
Toothpaste	$3.81	$3.70	2.8%
Shampoo	$1.27	$1.28	0.7%
Movie	$13.55	$12.13	11.7%
Bowling	$21.67	$18.00	20.4%

Groceries

Item	Lancaster	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.27	$5.84	7.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.39	$1.57	11.5%
Milk	$4.61	$4.67	1.2%
Potatoes	$4.98	$4.93	1.0%
Pizza	$10.96	$12.09	9.3%
Beer	$10.47	$10.41	0.5%

Health Care

Item	Lancaster	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$143.74	$125.68	14.4%
Doctor	$148.29	$135.78	9.2%
Dentist	$115.52	$113.29	2.0%
Ibuprofen	$10.77	$10.65	1.1%
Lipitor	$467.34	$468.60	0.3%

Housing

Item	Lancaster	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$161,300.00	$184,700.00	12.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,159.30	$2,346.69	34.6%
Apartment Rent	$680.00	$949.00	28.3%

Transportation

Item	Lancaster	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.29	$3.46	4.9%
Tire Balancing	$53.32	$59.92	11.0%

Utilities

Item	Lancaster	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$167.89	$193.99	13.5%
Phone	$189.90	$192.25	1.2%

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.
Catawba, SC	1,069	99	0.6%
JAARS, NC	1,090	78	21.8%
Great Falls, SC	1,806	83	17.5%
Irwin, SC	1,308	88	11.7%
Elgin, SC	2,865	89	10.9%
Lancaster, SC	9,187	94	5.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fruitland Park, FL	9,185	103	3.0%
Taft, CA	9,189	109	8.6%
Belgrade, MT	9,184	115	14.5%
Lenoir City, TN	9,191	88	11.7%
Washington Terrace, UT	9,181	102	2.2%
Lancaster, SC	9,187	94	5.6%

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 Lancaster, SC