State comparison
New York vs South Dakota: which state is better to live in?
South Dakota costs a median household about $7,700 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because it has no income tax.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 6 categories
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: New York vs South Dakota
New York has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.9%, which works out to 5.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,933 a year. South Dakota has no state income tax. South Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 1.08% in South Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $3,348, so South Dakota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York 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: $12,419 a year in New York, $4,715 in South Dakota. South Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and South Dakota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; South Dakota is about 46% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $310K in South Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $160K gap in South Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,150 in South Dakota.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $2,100 in South Dakota, so New York is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 388 in South Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New York is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 2% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 2,027 in South Dakota, again favoring New York.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 78.2 in South Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and South Dakota's 28th, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in South Dakota, which favors New York. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and South Dakota's 31st, 19 places apart in New York's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New York went to Harris by 12 points and South Dakota went to Trump by 27 points.
New York has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; South Dakota has permitless carry and a grade of F, so New York regulates guns more tightly and South Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New York and banned with narrow exceptions in South Dakota, and marijuana is legal for adults in New York and medical only in South Dakota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $11.20 in South Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought). Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York 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 rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
New York
10
South Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York 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 $12,419); South Dakota on everyday costs (index 95 against 139); New York on safety (379 violent crimes per 100,000 against 388); New York on schools (ranked 12th against 31st).
Which is cheaper, New York or South Dakota?
South Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $310K in South Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $7,700 a year.
Does New York or South Dakota have lower taxes?
South Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,419 a year in New York ($3,933 income tax, $6,580 property tax on the median home and $1,906 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, New York or South Dakota?
New York, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 388 in South Dakota; property crime is 1,480 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, New York or South Dakota?
New York. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and South Dakota 31st.
Is New York or South Dakota better for retirees?
South Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. New York does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; South Dakota does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,580 a year in New York and $3,348 in South Dakota.