State comparison
California vs South Dakota: which state is better to live in?
South Dakota costs a median household about $6,200 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because it has no income tax.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: California vs South Dakota
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. South Dakota has no state income tax. South Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.08% in South Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,348, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 6.11% in South Dakota; South Dakota is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,957 a year in California, $4,715 in South Dakota. South Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and South Dakota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; South Dakota is about 49% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $310K in South Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $480K gap in South Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,150 in South Dakota.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $2,100 in South Dakota.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 388 in South Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 29% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,027 in South Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 78.2 in South Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.0-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and South Dakota's 28th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in South Dakota, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and South Dakota's 31st, 11 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and South Dakota went to Trump by 27 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; South Dakota has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and South Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and banned with narrow exceptions in South Dakota, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and medical only in South Dakota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $11.20 in South Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought), so South Dakota is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 30 in South Dakota (under 50 is good), favoring South Dakota.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
California
9
South Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or South Dakota better to live in?
South Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. South Dakota on taxes ($4,715 a year for a median household against $10,957); South Dakota on everyday costs (index 95 against 142); South Dakota on safety (388 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 31st).
Which is cheaper, California or South Dakota?
South Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $310K in South Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $6,200 a year.
Does California or South Dakota have lower taxes?
South Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax) and $4,715 in South Dakota ($0 income tax, $3,348 property tax on the median home and $1,367 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or South Dakota?
South Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 388 in South Dakota; property crime is 2,027 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, California or South Dakota?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and South Dakota 31st.
Is California or South Dakota better for retirees?
South Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; South Dakota does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $3,348 in South Dakota.