From Mount Rushmore’s grandeur to the Missouri River’s tranquillity, many affordable places to live in South Dakota are a short road trip to affordable fun.
We’ve meticulously sifted through US Census data using Saturday Night Science to compare real estate prices, living costs, and incomes. We identified the most affordable yet desirable places to live in South Dakota.
Companies like Brookings’ Daktronics and Sioux Falls’ Furniture Mart provide the opportunity to find employment in the more affordable cities in South Dakota. Welcome to where the buffalo roam, and the cost of living stays low.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 most affordable places to live in South Dakota
Where is the cheapest place to live in South Dakota for 2024? The cheapest place to live in South Dakota is Madison.
With a statewide median income close to $60,000 annually, who wouldn’t want a piece of South Dakota’s cheapest places to live?
To see how your city compares, look at the list below of the most affordable cities and towns in South Dakota.
Check out some more reading about South Dakota and the cheapest places in the country:
The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota For 2024
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Population: 6,271
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 79
Median Income: $62,756
Median Home Price: $235,746
Median Rent: $806
Madison took home the top spot on the list of the cheapest cities in South Dakota. The rule in South Dakota for affordable living is to stay in the southeast corner around Sioux Falls. Madison fits that bill as it’s about an hour north of Sioux Falls
With an average home price of $235,746 and an average rent of $806, you have plenty left each month to camp at Lake Herman State Park.
More on Madison: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 14,179
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 82
Median Income: $57,702
Median Home Price: $176,399
Median Rent: $812
Huron, located in Beadle County in the southern part of South Dakota, is the second lowest cost city in the state. The city has the best home price to income in the Mount Rushmore State.
The cost of living index at 82 is below the state average, cementing Huron as a financially savvy selection. Besides, who doesn’t want the Word’s Largest Pheasant in their backyard.
More on Huron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 15,421
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 84
Median Income: $60,180
Median Home Price: $247,438
Median Rent: $754
Yankton, across the Nebraska border and south of Sioux Falls, has the sixth lowest home prices and a solid eighth best home-price-to-income ratio. The city has the third lowest overall cost of living.
Yankton has been steadily getting cheaper over the years and has fun things to do, including being right next to the Lewis & Clark State Recreation Area, without breaking the budget.
More on Yankton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 15,656
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 86
Median Income: $51,763
Median Home Price: $234,575
Median Rent: $761
Mitchell, in Davison County, ranks as the fourth cheapest city in South Dakota. According to Zillow, the average home price is the fourth lowest in the state at $234,575.
Unlike most cities on this list, Mitchell stretches further west and is directly off of I-90 and hour west of Sioux Falls. The town is home to the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village and Lake Mitchell.
More on Mitchell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Crimes aren’t quietly heard of here, if so mostly drugs, c*****e, m**h, marijuana, etc. Schools are great here, teachers very respectful and discipline well. Neighborhoods usually quiet and quite peaceful.
Twin Dragon Chinese, Bike Trail, Pump Track.
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Population: 11,667
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 87
Median Income: $47,813
Median Home Price: $229,091
Median Rent: $746
You’ll feel like a millionaire living in Vermillion, the fifth cheapest city in the Mount Rushmore State. It’s easy to save money when home prices are $229,091 and the overall cost of living sits at 87, 1.1% lower than the South Dakota average.
Vermillion is 40 minutes northwest of Sioux City.
More on Vermillion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,670
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 87
Median Income: $55,448
Median Home Price: $281,636
Median Rent: $884
On our first trip to western South Dakota, we stop at the bell of the affordable ball, Belle Fourche, the sixth cheapest place in the state. It’s an hour or so north of Rapid City.
The overall cost of living index of 87 includes low index values for utilities, services, and healthcare.
More on Belle Fourche: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 22,718
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 88
Median Income: $61,320
Median Home Price: $272,742
Median Rent: $866
Another western town north of Brookings, Watertown ranks as the seventh least expensive place in South Dakota. It’s hard to find much different between all these eastern South Dakota places. It’s the same story with Watertown having only a $272,742, according to Zillow.
For fun things to do around Watertown, head to the water and Stokes-Thomas Lake City Park or Pelican Lake State Recreation Area.
More on Watertown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 193,401
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 89
Median Income: $71,785
Median Home Price: $311,972
Median Rent: $965
Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota, has impressively low living costs, including a cost of living index at 89 and home prices at $311,972. While most cities on this list have benefited from being close-ish to Sioux Falls, living in Sioux Falls gives you all the perks without the commute.
The best thing to do for less in Sioux Falls is to take an afternoon at Falls Park.
More on Sioux Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
I enjoy Sioux Falls since there’s a little bit of everything. Airport near the north end for when I go on vacation, plenty of great restaurants around, some really nice bars downtown, and I can generally find what I’m looking for here.
The amount of construction going around where I live and work
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Population: 23,530
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 89
Median Income: $57,824
Median Home Price: $281,909
Median Rent: $856
Brookings, one of the cheapest cities in South Dakota, is also one of the biggest. Located in western South Dakota, the town didn’t have to cook the books to achieve an overall cost of living of -1.1% lower than the South Dakota average.
The average rent in Brookings comes in at $856, the eighth lowest in the state.
More on Brookings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,121
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 89
Median Income: $49,564
Median Home Price: $338,025
Median Rent: $763
In Meade County, you’ll find the tenth cheapest city in the state – Sturgis. It squeaked onto the list with a manageable 89 overall cost of living index that is 1 points lower than the state average.
The home price to income ratio of 6.82 places 17th best statewide. That means you have more of your income to spend on the annual trip to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, about an hour and a half south.
More on Sturgis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Cheapest places to live in South Dakota FAQs
The county in South Dakota with the lowest cost of living is Aurora County. The average living wage in Aurora County is $80,852 according to MIT data. Aurora County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to South Dakota as a whole. Childcare costs $13,899 a year in Aurora County for two children compared to the South Dakota average of $15,014. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $8,628 per year in Aurora County compared to $9,639 on average in South Dakota.
The cost of living in South Dakota is 7.2% lower than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in South Dakota is $83,274 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a South Dakota household is $59,896.
The cheapest housing market in South Dakota is Mission. The average home value in Mission is $45,000, the lowest in the state. The average home value in South Dakota is $174,600, almost 3.9 times higher than Mission.
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Mount Rushmore State for 2024
Determining affordability for places in South Dakota boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2018-2022 for South Dakota using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in South Dakota to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 18 places in South Dakota that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in South Dakota with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Madison.
We updated this article for 2024. This report reflects our tenth time ranking the cheapest places to live in South Dakota.
South Dakota Affordabilility Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in South Dakota for 2024, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in South Dakota.
The cheapest cities in South Dakota are Madison, Huron, Yankton, Mitchell, Vermillion, Belle Fourche, Watertown, Sioux Falls, Brookings, and Sturgis.
Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in South Dakota according to the data:
- Spearfish
- Rapid City
- Brandon
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison | 6,271 | 79 | $62,756 | $235,746 | $806 |
| 2 | Huron | 14,179 | 82 | $57,702 | $176,399 | $812 |
| 3 | Yankton | 15,421 | 84 | $60,180 | $247,438 | $754 |
| 4 | Mitchell | 15,656 | 86 | $51,763 | $234,575 | $761 |
| 5 | Vermillion | 11,667 | 87 | $47,813 | $229,091 | $746 |
| 6 | Belle Fourche | 5,670 | 87 | $55,448 | $281,636 | $884 |
| 7 | Watertown | 22,718 | 88 | $61,320 | $272,742 | $866 |
| 8 | Sioux Falls | 193,401 | 89 | $71,785 | $311,972 | $965 |
| 9 | Brookings | 23,530 | 89 | $57,824 | $281,909 | $856 |
| 10 | Sturgis | 7,121 | 89 | $49,564 | $338,025 | $763 |
| 11 | Pierre | 14,105 | 90 | $80,473 | $272,719 | $914 |
| 12 | Harrisburg | 7,157 | 91 | $89,966 | $340,010 | $1,161 |
| 13 | Aberdeen | 28,388 | 92 | $62,684 | $216,009 | $741 |
| 14 | Tea | 5,922 | 92 | $99,153 | $354,610 | $1,131 |
| 15 | Box Elder | 11,905 | 94 | $71,532 | $330,877 | $1,217 |
| 16 | Brandon | 10,919 | 94 | $101,747 | $362,304 | $972 |
| 17 | Rapid City | 75,632 | 95 | $62,784 | $318,953 | $975 |
| 18 | Spearfish | 12,268 | 98 | $58,734 | $418,769 | $913 |