Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 13.6% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.2% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 6.8% less in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 17.0% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 18.7% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 55.8% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.7% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 5.7% more in South Dakota
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 1.2% less for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.69
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.8% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.46
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 17.0% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$15.14
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 18.7% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$144.28
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 55.8% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$7,800.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 1.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$11.56
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.7% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$123.62
|
|
North Carolina 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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