Cost of living comparison
compared to
Wisconsin vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Wisconsin is 36.8% more expensive than South Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.4% more in Wisconsin
- Groceries
-
pay 5.3% less in Wisconsin
- Transportation
-
pay 19.1% more in Wisconsin
- Housing
-
pay 11.2% more in Wisconsin
- Childcare
-
pay 3.2 times more in Wisconsin
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.9% more in Wisconsin
- Clothing
-
pay 2.5% less in Wisconsin
The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Wisconsin are more expensive than in South Dakota. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in Wisconsin. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Wisconsin instead of South Dakota, you would:
pay 9.4% more for restaurants
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.33
|
$16.68
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.19
|
$10.05
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.98
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.3% less for groceries
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.01
|
$3.29
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.97
|
$6.16
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$3.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.88
|
$4.12
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$5.37
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$2.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
|
$1.90
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.23
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Cost of groceries
pay 19.1% more for transportation
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.13
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$50.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,568.55
|
$32,550.59
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.14
|
$16.78
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Cost of transportation
pay 11.2% more for housing
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.40
|
$68.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,053.00
|
$1,194.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$974.82
|
$970.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.28
|
$134.51
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Cost of housing
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$715.00
|
$1,662.39
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,800.00
|
$31,803.36
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Cost of childcare
pay 5.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.42
|
$4.51
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.69
|
$4.99
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.38
|
$10.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.44
|
$46.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.56
|
$13.06
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.5% less for clothing
|
South Dakota
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.89
|
$49.31
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$42.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.39
|
$90.73
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.62
|
$105.46
|
|
South Dakota vs. Wisconsin - 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Wisconsin or South Dakota. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.