Cost of living comparison

French Polynesia

compared to

South Dakota, USA

South Dakota vs. French Polynesia Cost of Living Summary

South Dakota is 5.3% cheaper than French Polynesia overall.

Restaurants: pay 20.4% less in South Dakota
Groceries: pay 29.8% less in South Dakota
Transportation: pay 17.6% more in South Dakota
Housing: pay 7.4% more in South Dakota
Childcare: pay 21.5% more in South Dakota
Entertainment and Sports: pay 14.4% less in South Dakota
Clothing: pay 10.0% less in South Dakota

The cost of childcare, transportation, and housing in South Dakota are more expensive than in French Polynesia. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in South Dakota.

South Dakota vs. French Polynesia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Dakota instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 20.4% less for restaurants

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$16.89 CFPF1,794	$13.00	-23.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$13.02 CFPF1,383	$10.33	-20.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.39 CFPF254	$2.53	+6.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.90 CFPF308	$2.05	-29.5%
Average			-20.4%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants

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pay 29.8% less for groceries

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Bread 1 loaf	$3.21 CFPF341	$2.80	-12.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.92 CFPF1,478	$5.94	-57.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.14 CFPF546	$3.55	-30.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.87 CFPF729	$4.65	-32.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$6.65 CFPF706	$4.17	-37.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.39 CFPF254	$1.85	-22.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.30 CFPF138	$0.81	-37.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.68 CFPF285	$1.51	-43.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.53 CFPF375	$1.69	-52.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.11 CFPF117	$1.22	+10.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.00 CFPF106	$1.30	+29.6%
Average			-29.8%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries

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pay 17.6% more for transportation

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.53 CFPF587	$3.52	-36.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$14.08 CFPF1,495	$30.00	+113.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$18,297.59 CFPF2M	$35,246.50	+92.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$28.90 CFPF3,070	$15.02	-48.0%
Average			+17.6%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation

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pay 7.4% more for housing

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$72.32 CFPF7,681	$58.99	-18.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,184.65 CFPF126K	$1,145.83	-3.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$938.34 CFPF99,660	$1,105.14	+17.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$138.13 CFPF14,671	$168.11	+21.7%
Average			+7.4%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing

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pay 21.5% more for childcare

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$469.17 CFPF49,830	$833.31	+77.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,383.38 CFPF997K	$7,800.00	-16.9%
Average			+21.5%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare

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pay 14.4% less for entertainment and sports

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.93 CFPF523	$4.00	-18.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.18 CFPF444	$4.71	+12.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.86 CFPF1,365	$9.54	-25.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$68.01 CFPF7,223	$47.44	-30.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.14 CFPF1,395	$12.25	-6.8%
Average			-14.4%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 10.0% less for clothing

	French Polynesia	South Dakota
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$68.78 CFPF7,305	$46.56	-32.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$71.91 CFPF7,637	$43.33	-39.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$78.16 CFPF8,302	$91.03	+16.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$89.14 CFPF9,468	$123.17	+38.2%
Average			-10.0%

French Polynesia vs. South Dakota - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: French Polynesia vs. South Dakota

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Quality of Life Comparison · 4 statistics

Make 2.8 times more money in South Dakota

Size Comparison · See true size

French Polynesia is about 47 times smaller than South Dakota.

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