Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kentucky vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Kentucky is 16.1% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.0% more in Kentucky
- Groceries
-
pay 10.1% less in Kentucky
- Transportation
-
pay 6.6% more in Kentucky
- Housing
-
pay 8.3% more in Kentucky
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in Kentucky
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.4% less in Kentucky
- Clothing
-
pay 10.3% less in Kentucky
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, and restaurants in Kentucky are more expensive than in South Dakota. Expenses including clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Kentucky. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Kentucky.
Kentucky vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kentucky instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 2.0% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$15.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$9.59
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.87
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.1% less for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$2.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$5.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$4.82
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.66
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.29
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - Cost of groceries
pay 6.6% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$2.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$39.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$35,897.72
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$14.64
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - Cost of transportation
pay 8.3% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$65.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,095.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$954.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$143.50
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,283.80
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$20,534.67
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - Cost of childcare
pay 5.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$4.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.94
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$7.93
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$30.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$12.61
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.3% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$45.82
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$36.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$88.57
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$97.91
|
|
South Dakota vs. Kentucky - 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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