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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
South Dakota is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Sioux Falls leads at an index of 74 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — with rent at just $1,265/month — 33% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the nu…
#1 Ranked: Sioux Falls — cost index 74, rent $1,265/mo, income $74,714
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
South Dakota is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Sioux Falls leads at an index of 74 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — with rent at just $1,265/month — 33% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Look, Sioux Falls comes in at #1. Rent is $1,265 a month. Household income is $74,714. The cost of living index is 74. That tracks (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
None of this exists in a vacuum, though. Here's the state-level backdrop: South Dakota averages a 74 cost index, $1,265/mo — we had to double-check this one — rent, and $74,714 income across 1 cities. That's $630 less than the national rent average. No income tax and Great Plains affordability — and that context shapes every city in this ranking (that's pre-tax, of course).
In plain English: If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. And generally speaking, there's not much to say about that beyond the obvious. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls | 74 | $1,265 | Details |
206,410 residents · South Dakota
Look, the numbers for Sioux Falls are straightforward: 74 on the cost index, $1,265/month rent, $74,714 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That tracks. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
Cities with the highest rents in South Dakota are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. 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.
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.