Cost of living comparison
compared to
West Virginia vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
West Virginia is 4.7% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.0% more in West Virginia
- Groceries
-
pay 17.4% less in West Virginia
- Transportation
-
pay 25.1% more in West Virginia
- Housing
-
pay 9.7% more in West Virginia
- Childcare
-
pay 30.0% more in West Virginia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.1% less in West Virginia
- Clothing
-
pay 10.4% less in West Virginia
West Virginia vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in West Virginia instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 4.0% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$15.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$10.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.87
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.4% less for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$2.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$4.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$3.10
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$4.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$1.89
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$1.64
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.34
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - Cost of groceries
pay 25.1% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$62.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$31,636.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$15.12
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - Cost of transportation
pay 9.7% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$62.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$985.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$808.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$195.99
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - Cost of housing
pay 30.0% more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$895.95
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$10,512.00
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - Cost of childcare
pay 8.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.52
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$8.29
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$33.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$12.09
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.4% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$45.93
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$39.06
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$83.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$96.41
|
|
South Dakota vs. West Virginia - 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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