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