Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 33.2% cheaper than District of Columbia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.6% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 17.0% less in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 21.6% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 35.6% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 76.8% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 36.1% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 17.5% less in South Dakota
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of District of Columbia, you would:
pay 27.6% less for restaurants
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$1.69
|
|
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.0% less for groceries
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.46
|
|
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 21.6% less for transportation
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
$15.14
|
|
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 35.6% less for housing
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$144.28
|
|
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 76.8% less for childcare
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
$7,800.00
|
|
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 36.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$11.56
|
|
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.5% less for clothing
|
District of Columbia
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$123.62
|
|
District of Columbia 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: March 2026
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