State comparison
South Dakota vs Arkansas: which state is better to live in?
South Dakota costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Arkansas, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 95 against 85).
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 9 categories
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: South Dakota vs Arkansas
South Dakota has no state income tax. Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. South Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.08% of home value a year in South Dakota and 0.60% in Arkansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,348 against $1,170, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.11% in South Dakota and 9.46% in Arkansas; South Dakota is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,715 a year in South Dakota, $5,966 in Arkansas. South Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
South Dakota's cost of living index is 95 and Arkansas's is 85, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $310K in South Dakota and $195K in Arkansas (Zillow, 2024), a $115K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month in South Dakota and $970 in Arkansas.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in South Dakota and $2,600 in Arkansas, so South Dakota is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 388 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 619 in Arkansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 60% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in South Dakota against 2,469 in Arkansas, again favoring South Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.2 years in South Dakota and 73.8 in Arkansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.4-year edge for South Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Dakota's health system 28th of 50 and Arkansas's 44th, so South Dakota scores better on care.
9.0% of South Dakota residents have no health insurance against 9.4% in Arkansas, which favors South Dakota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Dakota's K-12 schools 31st in the country and Arkansas's 42nd, 11 places apart in South Dakota's favor. Arkansas runs a school-choice voucher program; South Dakota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election South Dakota went to Trump by 27 points and Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points.
South Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Arkansas has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.20 an hour in South Dakota and $11.00 in Arkansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought) and high in Arkansas (tornado, flood), so South Dakota is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 30 in South Dakota and 35 in Arkansas (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
9
South Dakota
5
Arkansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is South Dakota or Arkansas 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 $5,966); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 95); South Dakota on safety (388 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); South Dakota on schools (ranked 31st against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, South Dakota or Arkansas?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 95. The median home is $310K in South Dakota and $195K in Arkansas (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does South Dakota or Arkansas have lower taxes?
South Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,715 a year in South Dakota ($0 income tax, $3,348 property tax on the median home and $1,367 in sales tax) and $5,966 in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Dakota or Arkansas?
South Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 388 per 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 619 in Arkansas; property crime is 2,027 against 2,469.
Which has better schools, South Dakota or Arkansas?
South Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Dakota 31st of 50 for K-12 and Arkansas 42nd. Arkansas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is South Dakota or Arkansas better for retirees?
South Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. South Dakota does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,348 a year in South Dakota and $1,170 in Arkansas.