Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 2.2% more expensive than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.2% more in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 31.3% more in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 20.4% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 19.4% more in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 14.8% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.5% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 3.8% less in South Dakota
South Dakota vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 6.2% more for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.45
NZ$25.14
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.14
NZ$15.90
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.11
NZ$3.67
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
NZ$3.51
|
$1.69
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.3% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.74
NZ$3.02
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
NZ$6.76
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.34
NZ$11.03
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.96
NZ$10.37
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.01
NZ$6.97
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
NZ$2.05
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
NZ$1.66
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
NZ$2.25
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.11
NZ$3.67
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
NZ$1.48
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
NZ$1.39
|
$1.46
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 20.4% less for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.08
NZ$10.58
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$74.52
NZ$129.67
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,777.66
NZ$43,117.83
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.81
NZ$31.00
|
$15.14
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 19.4% more for housing
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.00
NZ$87.00
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$978.36
NZ$1,702.53
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$810.06
NZ$1,409.66
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.66
NZ$166.47
|
$144.28
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 14.8% less for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$635.34
NZ$1,105.62
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,463.91
NZ$23,429.76
|
$7,800.00
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 2.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.04
NZ$10.52
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
NZ$5.83
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.12
NZ$40.24
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.72
NZ$65.64
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
NZ$18.65
|
$11.56
|
|
New Zealand vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.8% less for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.22
NZ$113.50
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.23
NZ$68.27
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.28
NZ$157.10
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.43
NZ$207.83
|
$123.62
|
|
New Zealand 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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Compare further: New Zealand vs. South Dakota
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See the
cost of living in New Zealand vs. United States.
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