State comparison
Pennsylvania vs South Dakota: which state is better to live in?
South Dakota costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because it has no income tax.
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs South Dakota
Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% income tax, which works out to 3.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,290 a year. South Dakota has no state income tax. South Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 1.08% in South Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $3,348, so South Dakota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania 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: $7,569 a year in Pennsylvania, $4,715 in South Dakota. South Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and South Dakota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; South Dakota is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $270K in Pennsylvania and $310K in South Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $1,150 in South Dakota.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $2,100 in South Dakota, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 388 in South Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 27% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 2,027 in South Dakota, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 78.2 in South Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for South Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and South Dakota's 28th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in South Dakota, which favors Pennsylvania. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania's K-12 schools 23rd in the country and South Dakota's 31st, 8 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; South Dakota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points and South Dakota went to Trump by 27 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; South Dakota has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Pennsylvania regulates guns more tightly and South Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Pennsylvania and banned with narrow exceptions in South Dakota, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $11.20 in South Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought). Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania
9
South Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Pennsylvania 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 $7,569); South Dakota on everyday costs (index 95 against 97); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 388); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 31st).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or South Dakota?
South Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 97. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $310K in South Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or South Dakota have lower taxes?
South Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,569 a year in Pennsylvania ($2,290 income tax, $3,861 property tax on the median home and $1,419 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, Pennsylvania or South Dakota?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 388 in South Dakota; property crime is 1,394 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or South Dakota?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and South Dakota 31st. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Pennsylvania or South Dakota better for retirees?
South Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an 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 $3,861 a year in Pennsylvania and $3,348 in South Dakota.