2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Columbia, SC vs North Pole, AK

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in North Pole or is it cheaper to live in Columbia?
- North Pole is 19.0% more expensive than Columbia.

Which city has more affordable housing, North Pole or Columbia?
- North Pole housing costs are 56.0% more expensive than Columbia housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Columbia or is Health Care more affordable in North Pole.
- Health related expenses are 11.1% more in North Pole.
 Columbia, SCNorth Pole, AKUnited States
 Overall  Unlock104.0100
 Food & Groceries96.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock128.1100
 Housing58.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$289,500$338,100
 Utilities109  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock92.5100
 Miscellaneous92.9  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I love living in Columbia! I recently graduated from USC and plan to stay. I read the reviews posted here and it shows that like many cities, your experience will depend  More

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Loved living in Columbia, SC prior to my job transfer. It's the perfect size - plenty to do, but still a laid back place. People are extremely friendly, there are  More

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Columbia is such a unique and underrated place. It has a lot of character and history, and good nature trails. Everything feels accessible (by car) and you can get from  More

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Reviews for North Pole    9 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

We visited here once a few years ago and fell in love! We plan to move to this wonderful town on my retirement in a few years! Just starting to look at houses now soo  More

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Over 10 years ago

at times it is well below zero where do people buy their winter clothing and do schools close when the weather is to  More

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Over 16 years ago

Our winter normally starts in september and ends mid april with brake-up. This is when the ice and snow goes away for the spring to come. We will get the coldest winter  More

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