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State relocation profile · Federal data

South Dakota

Cost of living, fair-market rent, wages, safety, schools and childcare for South Dakota - every figure straight from federal data.

88.6
Cost index (US=100)
$989
2BR rent / mo
$64,417
Median salary
57.9
Life Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, South Dakota scores 57.9/100 (C-) on the composite Life Score, with its strongest marks in childcare and cost of living.

57.9
Life Score · C-
88.6
Cost of living (US=100)
$64,417
Median annual salary (BLS)
$989
2BR fair-market rent / mo (HUD)

Weakest dimension: wages (10/100). State-level figures are a benchmark, individual metros can diverge sharply, so weigh each dimension against your own priorities.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and five other federal agencies, South Dakota has a cost-of-living index of 88.6 (100 = national average), a median 2-bedroom rent of $989/mo, and a median salary of $64,417. Its composite Life Score is 57.9/100 (C-), with its strongest marks in childcare and cost of living.

How South Dakota ranks nationally

Where South Dakota's composite Life Score falls among all 51 US states scored.

Life Score distribution - South Dakota marked 0 US states at 0–10 0 0 US states at 10–20 10 0 US states at 20–30 20 5 US states at 30–40 5 30 16 US states at 40–50 16 40 24 US states at 50–60 24 50 6 US states at 60–70 6 60 0 US states at 70–80 70 0 US states at 80–90 80 0 US states at 90–100 90 Life Score →
Top 20% by Life Score Higher Life Score than 80% of all 51 US states.

South Dakota has life score of 57.9. Distribution: 0 US states at 0-10; 0 US states at 10-20; 0 US states at 20-30; 5 US states at 30-40; 16 US states at 40-50; 24 US states at 50-60; 6 US states at 60-70; 0 US states at 70-80; 0 US states at 80-90; 0 US states at 90-100.

Evaluating South Dakota as a relocation target starts with the statewide BEA Regional Price Parity of 88.6 - where 100 is the national average, so every point above or below translates to percent-level cost of living difference. Housing costs in South Dakota index at 67.6, goods at 95.5, and services at 79.7. HUD Fair Market Rents averaged across South Dakota counties put a 2-bedroom at $989/month, the figure HUD uses to cap Section 8 voucher payments, so it reflects real submarket rents rather than listings bias.

On the income side, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a statewide median salary of $64,417 with a mean of $67,039 across 450,790 tracked jobs. For safety context, FBI UCR data shows a violent crime rate of 320 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1535 per 100K. These state-level reads let you benchmark South Dakota against both your origin state and national medians before zooming into specific metros.

Family and education costs often decide a move. Department of Labor data for South Dakota shows center-based infant care running $6,595/year, preschool at $6,212/year, and toddler care at $6,595/year. South Dakota contains 2 metropolitan statistical areas in our dataset - Rapid City, Sioux Falls - each with its own rent, wage and crime profile that can diverge sharply from the statewide average. The composite Life Score of 57.9/100 (C-) folds all seven federal sources into one number for quick comparison.

Key Metrics

Cost of Living (RPP)
88.6
100 = national avg
Avg 2BR Rent (FMR)
$989
per month
Median Salary
$64,417
annual
Violent Crime Rate
320
per 100K

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for South Dakota (DOL data).

Infant (Center)
$6,595
per year
Toddler (Center)
$6,595
per year
Preschool (Center)
$6,212
per year

Life Score Breakdown

South Dakota's composite Life Score is 57.9/100 (C-), computed across 7 dimensions.

Strongest dimension: Childcare (93/100)

South Dakota - Life Score dimensions

Percentile vs all US states (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)

/100

What this shows South Dakota's strongest dimensions are childcare and cost of living; its weakest is wages at 10/100. Each dimension is a federal-data percentile; the composite folds all seven into one comparable figure.

Source BEA · HUD · BLS · FBI · NCES · DOL · EPA As of Federal data, latest available vintage
Cost
90/100
Elite
Wages
10/100
Bottom decile
Rent
82/100
Elite
Crime
42/100
Below average
Schools
30/100
Weak
Childcare
93/100
Elite
Environment
70/100
Strong

Metros in South Dakota

Explore detailed relocation data for 2 metropolitan areas in South Dakota.

Rapid City, SD Sioux Falls, SD-MN

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Relocating within or to South Dakota?

State figures are the benchmark, drill into a metro before you commit.

  • South Dakota has 2 metro areas with rent, wage and crime profiles that diverge from the statewide average, start with Rapid City. View Rapid City
  • Put two places on the same scorecard across cost, rent, wages, safety and schools before you decide. Compare metros
  • See how every US metro ranks on the composite LiveAbility Score, then re-weight it to your priorities. Rankings

Cost, rent and wages are state-level reads; safety, schools and childcare use state data where metro-level isn't published. Always verify the latest figures at the official source before you move.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of living in South Dakota?
South Dakota has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 88.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 67.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom fair market rent is $989/month.
What is the median salary in South Dakota?
The median salary in South Dakota is $64,417 annually (mean: $67,039). Total employment across the state is 450,790.
How safe is South Dakota?
The violent crime rate in South Dakota is 320 per 100,000 population. The property crime rate is 1535 per 100K.
How much does childcare cost in South Dakota?
Infant center-based childcare in South Dakota averages $6,595 per year. Preschool averages $6,212/year. Toddler care averages $6,595/year. These are state-level averages from the Department of Labor.
How many metro areas are in South Dakota?
South Dakota has 2 metropolitan statistical areas tracked by PlainRelocate, including Rapid City, Sioux Falls.
Is South Dakota a good state to relocate to?
South Dakota has a Life Score of 57.9/100 (C-), based on 7 dimensions: cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment. This is an above-average score, South Dakota outperforms most scored states on the combined measure.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Data Sources

  • Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
  • Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
  • Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
  • Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)
  • Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
  • Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL)
  • Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

This information is for research purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainRelocate is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.