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Aiken, SC Cost of Living

Aiken cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
IndexAikenSouth CarolinaNational
Cost of living index9697100
IndexAikenSouth CarolinaNational
Goods & Services index104106100
Groceries index106103100
Health care index95101100
Housing index9480100
Transportation index8092100
Utilities index81111100
A general summary of the cost of living index in Aiken, SC is shown above. Compared to the state average of South Carolina the cost of living index in Aiken, SC is 96, which is equal to the average in South Carolina and compared to the national average it is 4% lower than. The cost of living index is made up of several categories. These are transportation at 9%, utilities at 10%, goods and services at 33%, housing at 30%, groceries at 13%, and health care at 5%. The bulk of the cost of living index comes from the categories of goods and services and housing. If you look at everyday goods and services they can be a good indicator in a certain city of the general costs of goods there. In Aiken, SC goods and services come in at 1% lower than the average in South Carolina and are 4% higher than compared to the nationwide average.
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Did you know?

  • The cost of living in Aiken is equal to the South Carolina average.
  • The cost of living in Aiken is 4% lower than the national average.
  • The cost of housing in Aiken is 6% 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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Compare Aiken, SC Cost of living To Other Cities

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in
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Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index
Use the salary calculator to compare your current salary in Aiken, SC to any other city. The salary calculator will tell you how much you would need to earn in any given city to maintain the same standard of living based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to relocate to is higher than the cost of living in Aiken, SC, then you would need to earn more income in order to maintain the same standard of living. To use the Aiken, SC salary calculator, simply enter in the name of the new city, then adjust the slider to your current income. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if you need to earn more or less in the new city. You will also see a complete breakdown of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median IncomePer YearPer MonthMax Budget (28% DTI)Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners$70,350$5,863$1,641$2,111
Renters$32,043$2,670$748$961
The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Aiken, SC as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Aiken, SC homeowners, is $70,350. This would allow for a maximum of $1,641 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $32,043 which would result in a maximum of $748 to be spent on rental costs.

South Carolina Sales Tax

StateGeneral Sales TaxWith Max Surtax
South Carolina6%9%

South Carolina Income Tax

StateIncome Tax (Low)Income Tax (High)
South Carolina0%7%
When you are determining the total cost of living in Aiken, SC you will want to make sure you consider both the South Carolina sales tax and the South Carolina income tax rates. Sales tax come in the form of taxes levied on both services and goods that are sold. The sales tax rates are different state to state and range from zero sales tax to higher than 7%. The sales tax in South Carolina is 6%, with the highest surtax being 9%. Tax that is on income by the government is income tax. Different states have different income tax rates and these rates can be higher or lower dependent on the corresponding tax bracket. The state income tax rates are different state to state and range from no income tax to more than 9% income tax. The income tax rates in South Carolina have a range from 0% to 7%.

Goods & Services

ItemAikenNational avg.Difference
Haircut $17.32$16.097.7%
Beauty Salon $33.79$37.339.5%
Toothpaste $3.37$2.4537.6%
Shampoo $0.85$1.0015.2%
Movie $11.97$10.2816.4%
Bowling $6.96$4.9341.2%

Groceries

ItemAikenNational avg.Difference
Ground Beef $4.50$3.8018.2%
Fried Chicken $2.39$1.4071.4%
Milk $2.04$2.011.6%
Potatoes $3.42$3.0113.5%
Pizza $10.46$9.895.8%
Beer $8.90$8.900.0%

Health Care

ItemAikenNational avg.Difference
Optometrist $174.01$102.1670.3%
Doctor $95.02$108.3612.3%
Dentist $76.95$92.5316.8%
Ibuprofen $8.74$9.285.8%
Lipitor $437.92$425.822.8%

Housing

ItemAikenNational avg.Difference
Home Price $175,400.00$184,700.005.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment $910.51$1,202.4424.3%
Apartment Rent $860.00$949.009.4%

Transportation

ItemAikenNational avg.Difference
Gasoline $1.91$2.2414.8%
Tire Balancing $31.92$46.2931.0%

Utilities

ItemAikenNational avg.Difference
All Electricity$127.88$165.9622.9%
Phone $24.93$28.6813.1%
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, StatePopulationCost of Living IndexNational Avg.
Windsor, SC6797-3%
Langley, SC1,17180-20%
Gloverville, SC2,79681-19%
Warrenville, SC1,17382-18%
Graniteville, SC2,65784-16%
Aiken, SC30,40396-4%

Cities with similar population

City, StatePopulationCost of Living IndexNational Avg.
Algonquin, IL30,4131077%
Ballwin, MO30,4311066%
Westfield, NJ30,43817070%
Manchester, CT30,3641077%
Morgantown, WV30,36497-3%
Aiken, SC30,40396-4%
Source: The Aiken, SC cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.
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