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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 1 cities in South Dakota on the metrics families care about, and Sioux Falls comes out on top with a cost index of 74, median income of $74,714, and a healthcare inde…
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls | 74 | $1,265 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Sioux Falls — cost index 74, rent $1,265/mo, income $74,714
Family-weighted scoring: income $74,714, healthcare index 95, population 206,410 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 1 cities in South Dakota on the metrics families care about, and Sioux Falls comes out on top with a cost index of 74, median income of $74,714, and a healthcare index of 95.
A closer look at Sioux Falls: the cost index of 74 breaks down to a Housing index of 74 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,265/month — 33% below the national median — while household income sits at $74,714, meaning locals spend about 20% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Sioux Falls leads because it scores across all four.
Real talk: Stepping back, South Dakota — no income tax and Great Plains affordability. The 1 cities we track here average a cost index of 74 and median income of $74,714. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,265/month, which is $630 less than the national median.
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.
206,410 residents · South Dakota
Here's Sioux Falls by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And as far as the data shows, cost index: 74. Rent: $1,265/month. Income: $74,714/year. Home price: $326,187. Population: 206,410. The strongest category is Housing at 74; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,560 per year vs. the national median. This is the type of edge you don't see advertised.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in South Dakota by this personalized metric. 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 74 and median income of $74,714.
Sioux Falls scores highest for families 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.