Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 5.8% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 15.8% more in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 0.7% more in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 0.9% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 48.4% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.0% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 3.6% more in South Dakota
The cost of groceries, clothing, and transportation in South Dakota are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and housing are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 2.3% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.69
|
|
Iowa vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.8% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.46
|
|
Iowa vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 0.7% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$15.14
|
|
Iowa vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 0.9% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$144.28
|
|
Iowa vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 48.4% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$7,800.00
|
|
Iowa vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 9.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$11.56
|
|
Iowa vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.6% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$123.62
|
|
Iowa 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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