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 111. Leading the pack: Sioux Falls at index 74, where median rent of $1,265/month saves renters $7,560/year versus the national median.
#1 Ranked: Sioux Falls — cost index 74, rent $1,265/mo, income $74,714
1 of 1 cities keep rent under 30% of $75K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Sioux Falls | 0% | 6.1% | 1.08% | $57,710 |
Dollar for dollar, few states match South Dakota's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Sioux Falls at index 74, where median rent of $1,265/month saves renters $7,560/year versus the national median.
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. Worth a deeper look.
The trade-off becomes clearer when you add healthcare into the mix. State context matters: South Dakota's 1 cities average a 74 cost index with $1,265/month median rent and $74,714 household income. No income tax and Great Plains affordability. That gap becomes clearer in the comparison below.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Rent % of Gross | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls | $1,265 | 20% | 74 | Details |
206,410 residents · South Dakota
Why Sioux Falls ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 74 on the cost index, residents save roughly 37% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,265/month while the median household pulls in $74,714/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 74, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $326,187 — $141,183 below the national median.
We model what a $75K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. 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.
Yes. On a $75K salary in Sioux Falls, rent would consume about 20% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. You're well within that guideline.
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.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 0% state income tax, estimated take-home on $75K in Sioux Falls is approximately $57,710/year ($4,809/month). After median rent of $1,265/month, you'd have roughly $42,530/year for all other expenses.
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.