Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. Arkansas Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 3.7% cheaper than Arkansas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.1% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 20.3% more in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 5.6% more in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 10.8% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 45.3% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.0% more in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 10.6% more in South Dakota
The cost of groceries, clothing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in South Dakota are more expensive than in Arkansas. Expenses including childcare, housing, and restaurants are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. Arkansas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Arkansas, you would:
pay 7.1% less for restaurants
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.64
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.93
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.51
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
|
$1.69
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.3% more for groceries
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.50
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.55
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.65
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.46
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 5.6% more for transportation
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.79
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.67
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,285.97
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.84
|
$15.14
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 10.8% less for housing
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.56
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,168.77
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$935.60
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$161.48
|
$144.28
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 45.3% less for childcare
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,014.29
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,052.00
|
$7,800.00
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 1.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.21
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.05
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.35
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.86
|
$11.56
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.6% more for clothing
|
Arkansas
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.00
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.19
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.86
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.24
|
$123.62
|
|
Arkansas vs. South Dakota - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
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