Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Dakota vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
North Dakota is 17.8% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 32.3% more in North Dakota
- Groceries
-
pay 4.7% more in North Dakota
- Transportation
-
pay 11.5% more in North Dakota
- Housing
-
pay 14.3% more in North Dakota
- Childcare
-
pay 43.6% more in North Dakota
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 18.2% more in North Dakota
- Clothing
-
pay 0.3% less in North Dakota
The cost of childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, and groceries in North Dakota are more expensive than in South Dakota.
North Dakota vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Dakota instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 32.3% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$23.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$11.93
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$2.26
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.7% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$6.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.82
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$6.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.47
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - Cost of groceries
pay 11.5% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.04
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$33,161.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
?? | |
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - Cost of transportation
pay 14.3% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$73.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,021.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$800.42
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$186.50
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - Cost of housing
pay 43.6% more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,026.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
?? | |
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - Cost of childcare
pay 18.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$5.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$6.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$58.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$13.94
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.3% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
North Dakota
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$50.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$54.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$85.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$88.33
|
|
South Dakota vs. North Dakota - 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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