Cost of living comparison
compared to
Massachusetts vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Massachusetts is 54.0% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 25.5% more in Massachusetts
- Groceries
-
pay 9.5% more in Massachusetts
- Transportation
-
pay 36.1% more in Massachusetts
- Housing
-
pay 64.2% more in Massachusetts
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Massachusetts
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 31.1% more in Massachusetts
- Clothing
-
pay 2.0% less in Massachusetts
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Massachusetts are more expensive than in South Dakota. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Massachusetts instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 25.5% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$20.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$12.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$2.13
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.5% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$7.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$4.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.36
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.32
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - Cost of groceries
pay 36.1% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$70.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$33,617.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$16.49
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - Cost of transportation
pay 64.2% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$70.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$2,203.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$1,938.26
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$152.69
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$2,228.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$24,653.85
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - Cost of childcare
pay 31.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$6.61
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.91
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$12.23
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$69.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$14.41
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.0% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$51.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$38.73
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$87.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$118.04
|
|
South Dakota vs. Massachusetts - 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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