Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
United States is 36.0% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.4% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 4.1% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 35.1% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 36.8% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.8% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 1.8% less in United States
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in United States are more expensive than in South Dakota. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in United States.
United States vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 17.4% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$2.00
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.1% more for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.38
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 35.1% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$17.61
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 36.8% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$150.19
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 14.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$13.64
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.8% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$112.04
|
|
South Dakota vs. United States - 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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