Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 31.4% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.0% more in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 10.0% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 31.9% more in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 27.4% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.2% more in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 5.0% less in North Carolina
The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in North Carolina are more expensive than in South Dakota. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 6.0% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.82
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.0% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.80
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 31.9% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$19.99
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 27.4% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$132.31
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 3.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$12.98
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.0% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$111.01
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Carolina - 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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