Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 70.3% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 56.1% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 42.3% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 53.4% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 88.4% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 4.5 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 76.7% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 16.2% more in District of Columbia
District of Columbia vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 56.1% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.00
|
$28.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.33
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.53
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.05
|
$2.64
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 42.3% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.80
|
$4.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.94
|
$8.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.55
|
$4.95
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.65
|
$5.64
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
|
$7.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
|
$1.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.51
|
$2.27
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$2.64
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.29
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.73
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 53.4% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$4.19
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$120.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,246.50
|
$36,375.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.02
|
$16.73
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 88.4% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.99
|
$77.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,145.83
|
$2,717.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,105.14
|
$2,228.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$168.11
|
$161.22
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 4.5 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$833.31
|
$3,221.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$41,506.00
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 76.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$6.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.54
|
$13.94
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$114.30
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.25
|
$18.00
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.2% more for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.56
|
$71.42
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.33
|
$44.11
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.03
|
$104.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.17
|
$125.16
|
|
South Dakota vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: South Dakota vs. District of Columbia
Explore more U.S. state comparisons
See how other U.S. states compare.
Browse all state comparisons.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about District of Columbia or South Dakota. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.