Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 15.7% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.1% more in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 11.9% less in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 2.1% more in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 3.5% more in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 2.0 times more in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.9% more in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 2.4% less in Iowa
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, and transportation in Iowa are more expensive than in South Dakota. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in Iowa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Iowa.
Iowa vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 5.1% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.82
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.9% less for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.30
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
pay 2.1% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$15.46
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
pay 3.5% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$133.13
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$18,898.50
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
pay 11.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$13.58
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.4% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$106.86
|
|
South Dakota vs. Iowa - 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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