Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 63.1% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.4% more in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 21.4% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 79.4% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 56.2% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 3.2 times more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 31.8% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 14.3% more in New Jersey
The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in New Jersey are more expensive than in South Dakota. Notably, childcare and transportation are significantly more expensive in New Jersey.
New Jersey vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 22.4% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$2.04
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.4% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.60
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 79.4% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$19.75
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 56.2% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$126.74
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$27,267.62
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 31.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$16.52
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.3% more for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$136.81
|
|
South Dakota vs. New Jersey - 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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