Cost of living comparison

 South Dakota, USA
compared to
 North Dakota, USA
North Dakota vs. South Dakota Cost of Living Summary

North Dakota is 11.7% more expensive than South Dakota.

Restaurants
pay 1.8% more in North Dakota
Groceries
pay 4.0% more in North Dakota
Transportation
pay 30.4% more in North Dakota
Housing
pay 10.5% less in North Dakota
Childcare
pay 49.0% more in North Dakota
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.0% more in North Dakota
Clothing
pay 8.7% less in North Dakota

The cost of childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in North Dakota are more expensive than in South Dakota. Expenses including housing and clothing are lower in North Dakota.

North Dakota vs. South Dakota Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Dakota instead of South Dakota, you would:

pay 1.8% more for restaurants

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.00
 
$13.75
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.21
 
$10.99
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.08
 
$2.58
 

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pay 4.0% more for groceries

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Bread
1 loaf
$3.25
 
$3.02
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.20
 
$4.44
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.90
 
$4.14
 

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pay 30.4% more for transportation

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.32
 
$3.24
 
Monthly public transit pass $30.00
 
$56.50
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,159.27
 
$35,893.61
 

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pay 10.5% less for housing

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$59.17
 
$64.56
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,077.75
 
$984.58
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,002.25
 
$700.00
 

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pay 49.0% more for childcare

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $725.00
 
$1,080.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,800.00
 
??

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pay 16.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.12
 
$5.35
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.07
 
$5.77
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.04
 
$9.11
 

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pay 8.7% less for clothing

 
South Dakota
North Dakota
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.46
 
$48.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.00
 
$50.38
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$91.50
 
$86.28
 

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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: May 2025
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