Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. Connecticut Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 24.5% cheaper than Connecticut.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.1% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 15.5% less in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 17.0% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 33.5% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 61.9% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.0% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 1.6% less in South Dakota
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, and groceries are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. Connecticut Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Connecticut, you would:
pay 17.1% less for restaurants
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.15
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.65
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.67
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.08
|
$1.69
|
|
Connecticut vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.5% less for groceries
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.23
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.82
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.42
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.92
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.12
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.72
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.53
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$1.46
|
|
Connecticut vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 17.0% less for transportation
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.26
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.38
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,569.77
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.52
|
$15.14
|
|
Connecticut vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 33.5% less for housing
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,310.48
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,957.50
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$157.89
|
$144.28
|
|
Connecticut vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 61.9% less for childcare
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,606.87
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,583.33
|
$7,800.00
|
|
Connecticut vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 25.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.30
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.07
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.48
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.90
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.43
|
$11.56
|
|
Connecticut vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.6% less for clothing
|
Connecticut
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.81
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.40
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.29
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.01
|
$123.62
|
|
Connecticut 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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