Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
South Dakota is 20.5% cheaper than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.8% less in South Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 16.4% less in South Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 27.6% less in South Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 35.1% less in South Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 60.6% less in South Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.5% less in South Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 33.3% more in South Dakota
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 17.8% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$12.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$10.19
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$1.69
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.4% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$3.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$5.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$4.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.46
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 27.6% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$35,568.55
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$15.14
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 35.1% less for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$49.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$1,053.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$974.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$144.28
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 60.6% less for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$715.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$7,800.00
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 19.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$4.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$4.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$9.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$47.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$11.56
|
|
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 33.3% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
South Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$47.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$89.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$123.62
|
|
Rhode Island 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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