State comparison
Idaho vs South Dakota: which state is better to live in?
South Dakota costs a median household about $2,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because it has no income tax.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 6 categories
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs South Dakota
Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. South Dakota has no state income tax. South Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 1.08% in South Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,348, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 6.11% in South Dakota; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,085 a year in Idaho, $4,715 in South Dakota. South Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and South Dakota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; South Dakota is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $310K in South Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $115K gap in South Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,150 in South Dakota.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $2,100 in South Dakota, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 388 in South Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 70% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 2,027 in South Dakota, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 78.2 in South Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for South Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and South Dakota's 28th, so South Dakota scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in South Dakota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and South Dakota's 31st, 1 places apart in Idaho's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Idaho went to Trump by 30 points and South Dakota went to Trump by 27 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; South Dakota has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and medical only in South Dakota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $11.20 in South Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho 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
6
Idaho
8
South Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or South Dakota better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. South Dakota on taxes ($4,715 a year for a median household against $7,085); South Dakota on everyday costs (index 95 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 388); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 31st).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or South Dakota?
South Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 96. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $310K in South Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $2,400 a year.
Does Idaho or South Dakota have lower taxes?
South Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,085 a year in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 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, Idaho or South Dakota?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 388 in South Dakota; property crime is 1,535 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Idaho or South Dakota?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and South Dakota 31st.
Is Idaho or South Dakota better for retirees?
South Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions 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 $2,040 a year in Idaho and $3,348 in South Dakota.