Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. Australia Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 12.5% cheaper than Australia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.1% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 18.3% more in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 21.2% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 3.1% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 47.6% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.2% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 9.6% less in South Dakota
Expenses including childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, and housing are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. Australia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Australia, you would:
pay 7.1% less for restaurants
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.15
A$25.82
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.64
A$14.51
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
A$3.96
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
A$3.23
|
$1.69
|
|
Australia vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.3% more for groceries
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.39
A$3.60
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.21
A$6.34
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.84
A$8.80
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.36
A$6.57
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
A$5.83
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.23
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
A$1.91
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.32
A$1.98
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
A$2.90
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.66
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.97
A$1.47
|
$1.46
|
|
Australia vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 21.2% less for transportation
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.48
A$6.74
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$86.18
A$129.74
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,666.22
A$41,653.46
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.83
A$26.85
|
$15.14
|
|
Australia vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 3.1% less for housing
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$54.93
A$82.71
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,188.50
A$1,789.37
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$962.42
A$1,448.99
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.71
A$201.31
|
$144.28
|
|
Australia vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 47.6% less for childcare
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,475.00
A$2,220.71
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,848.50
A$20,849.89
|
$7,800.00
|
|
Australia vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 17.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.47
A$9.74
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.56
A$5.36
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$28.78
A$43.33
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.13
A$76.98
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.10
A$19.72
|
$11.56
|
|
Australia vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.6% less for clothing
|
Australia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.65
A$104.86
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.53
A$73.07
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.22
A$149.38
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.98
A$162.57
|
$123.62
|
|
Australia 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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