Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 51.1% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 28.2% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 20.5% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 56.1% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 63.1% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 2.9 times more in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.1% more in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 23.6% less in Rhode Island
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 28.2% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$2.19
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.5% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.70
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 56.1% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$27.61
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 63.1% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$171.52
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 2.9 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$30,000.00
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 26.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$14.42
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.6% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$78.89
|
|
South Dakota vs. Rhode Island - 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: March 2026
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