Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 1 cities across South Dakota on rent, cost of living, and population. Sioux Falls ($1,265/mo, 206,410 residents) ranks #1.
#1 Ranked: Sioux Falls — cost index 95, rent $1,265/mo, income $74,714
Singles scoring: rent $1,265/mo (solo housing), cost index 95, population 206,410 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 1 cities across South Dakota on rent, cost of living, and population. Sioux Falls ($1,265/mo, 206,410 residents) ranks #1.
Put it this way: What does daily life actually cost in Sioux Falls? Start with the 20% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 88) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 98) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $74,714 and homes at $326,187 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Single-income living means absorbing 100% of housing costs. Our model weights rent under $1,300 — we had to double-check this one — (20pts), cost of living (15pts), and city population (10pts) — because a social scene matters when you're on your own. Sioux Falls at $1,265/mo in a city of 206,410 hits the right balance.
Now, the part that complicates the narrative: Across South Dakota, the average cost of living index is 95 — 17 points below the national median. Known for no income tax and Great Plains affordability, the state offers 1 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,265/month. That's $630 less than the national average of $1,895. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
Bottom line: Sioux Falls leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls | 95 | $1,265 | Details |
206,410 residents · South Dakota
The #1 spot goes to Sioux Falls, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,265/month — saving renters $7,560 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 88, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. At a 20% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to singles. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Sioux Falls ranks #1 in South Dakota for this analysis with a cost index of 95 and median income of $74,714.
Sioux Falls scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,265/mo, and competitive median income of $74,714.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Sioux Falls is $1,265/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $630 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Sioux Falls is $326,187, which is 4.4× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
South Dakota has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.1%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.08%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.