Cost of living comparison
compared to
Alabama vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Alabama is 10.7% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.7% more in Alabama
- Groceries
-
pay 4.7% less in Alabama
- Transportation
-
pay 13.6% more in Alabama
- Housing
-
pay 3.5% more in Alabama
- Childcare
-
pay 77.4% more in Alabama
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.1% less in Alabama
- Clothing
-
pay 15.4% less in Alabama
The cost of childcare, transportation, restaurants, and housing in Alabama are more expensive than in South Dakota. Expenses including clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Alabama. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Alabama.
Alabama vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Alabama instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 3.7% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$16.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$10.36
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.85
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.7% less for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.26
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$5.23
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$4.89
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$1.76
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.91
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.33
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.33
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - Cost of groceries
pay 13.6% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$2.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$30,098.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$16.41
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - Cost of transportation
pay 3.5% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$63.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,036.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$847.06
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$144.14
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - Cost of housing
pay 77.4% more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,146.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$15,177.33
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - Cost of childcare
pay 3.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$4.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.95
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$7.76
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$41.81
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$11.07
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.4% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$39.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$35.87
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$79.77
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$102.17
|
|
South Dakota vs. Alabama - 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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