Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match South Dakota's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Sioux Falls at index 95, where median rent of $1,265/month saves renters $7,560/year versus the national median.
Dollar for dollar, few states match South Dakota's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Sioux Falls at index 95, where median rent of $1,265/month saves renters $7,560/year versus the national median.
Dive into Sioux Falls's numbers: cost index 95 (17 points below national average), rent $1,265/month, income $74,714, and a home price of $326,187. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 88, while Healthcare runs 98. With 206,410 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Value = income ÷ cost index. The national benchmark ratio is 718. Sioux Falls delivers 786 — 9% more purchasing power per dollar earned. This metric catches cities that expensive-but-high-paying rankings miss: a $90K salary in a city with index 80 buys more than $120K in a city with index 150.
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.
#1 Ranked: Sioux Falls — cost index 95, rent $1,265/mo, income $74,714
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Value Ratio | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls | 786 | 95 | $1,265 | Details |
206,410 residents · South Dakota
Dive into Sioux Falls's numbers: cost index 95 (17 points below national average), rent $1,265/month, income $74,714, and a home price of $326,187. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 88, while Healthcare runs 98. With 206,410 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Value ratio = median household income ÷ cost of living index. A higher ratio means each dollar of income buys more locally. This captures purchasing power better than looking at income or cost alone. 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.
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.