Cost of living comparison
compared to
Illinois vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Illinois is 35.6% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.5% more in Illinois
- Groceries
-
pay 4.2% less in Illinois
- Transportation
-
pay 37.4% more in Illinois
- Housing
-
pay 23.0% more in Illinois
- Childcare
-
pay 2.7 times more in Illinois
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.4% more in Illinois
- Clothing
-
pay 5.0% more in Illinois
The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing in Illinois are more expensive than in South Dakota. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Illinois.
Illinois vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Illinois instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 7.5% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$16.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$10.72
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.52
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.88
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.2% less for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.38
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.05
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.24
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - Cost of groceries
pay 37.4% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$69.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$31,159.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$18.08
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - Cost of transportation
pay 23.0% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$72.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,332.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$1,112.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$151.79
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,386.42
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$26,426.10
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - Cost of childcare
pay 14.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$5.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$5.01
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$10.78
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$54.91
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$13.02
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.0% more for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Illinois
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$55.71
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$43.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$91.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$122.66
|
|
South Dakota vs. Illinois - 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
Change currency:
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 Illinois 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.