State comparison
South Dakota vs Idaho: 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.
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 8 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: South Dakota vs Idaho
South Dakota has no state income tax. 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 wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.08% of home value a year in South Dakota and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,348 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.11% in South Dakota and 6.02% in Idaho; Idaho 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, $7,085 in Idaho. 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 Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; South Dakota is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $310K in South Dakota and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $115K gap in South Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month in South Dakota and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in South Dakota and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 388 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 70% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in South Dakota against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.2 years in South Dakota and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for South Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Dakota's health system 28th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so South Dakota scores better on care.
9.0% of South Dakota residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Dakota's K-12 schools 31st in the country and Idaho's 30th, 1 places apart in Idaho'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 Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
South Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in South Dakota and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.20 an hour in South Dakota and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 30 in South Dakota and 48 in Idaho (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
8
South Dakota
6
Idaho
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is South Dakota or Idaho 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, South Dakota or Idaho?
South Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 96. The median home is $310K in South Dakota and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes South Dakota saves a median household about $2,400 a year.
Does South Dakota or Idaho 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 $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Dakota or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 388 per 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 2,027 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, South Dakota or Idaho?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Dakota 31st of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is South Dakota or Idaho 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; Idaho 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 $2,040 in Idaho.