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 average home value in Aurora County is $86,600 and the average income is $65,132 per year. Part of the reason this county has the lowest cost of living in South Dakota is a relatively high level of poverty for South Dakota and higher than average crime rates. These factors make a place less desirable to live, but also push down the cost of living.
Yes, South Dakota is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #14 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in South Dakota ranks eighth most dangerous in the United States -- 35.58% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Mount Rushmore State ranks 26th most dangerous in the United States -- 0.12% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Yes, Sioux Falls is a dangerous city. Sioux Falls ranks as the #118 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Sioux Falls might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Sioux Falls ranks 137th highest in America -- 1.3% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 105th highest in the United States -- 12.98% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is "dangerous". Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
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.
