Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. Pennsylvania Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 14.9% cheaper than Pennsylvania.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.4% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 6.5% less in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 16.8% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 17.5% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 58.4% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.5% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 4.8% more in South Dakota
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in South Dakota.
South Dakota vs. Pennsylvania Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Pennsylvania, you would:
pay 4.4% less for restaurants
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.35
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.53
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$1.69
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.5% less for groceries
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.50
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.29
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.21
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.15
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.39
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.46
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 16.8% less for transportation
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.27
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.77
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,293.42
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.76
|
$15.14
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 17.5% less for housing
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.32
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,401.89
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,229.68
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.67
|
$144.28
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 58.4% less for childcare
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,240.98
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,464.89
|
$7,800.00
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 5.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.28
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.69
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.09
|
$11.56
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.8% more for clothing
|
Pennsylvania
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.59
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.05
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.26
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$104.87
|
$123.62
|
|
Pennsylvania 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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