State comparison
South Dakota vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $670 a year less in state and local taxes than South Dakota, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $3,348 in South Dakota, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 95).
South Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 10 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 2 categories
Taxes: South Dakota vs Nevada
Neither South Dakota nor Nevada has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 1.08% of home value a year in South Dakota and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,348 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.11% in South Dakota and 8.23% in Nevada; 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
South Dakota's cost of living index is 95 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; South Dakota is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $310K in South Dakota and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $105K gap in South Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month in South Dakota and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in South Dakota and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 388 incidents per 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); South Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 53% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in South Dakota against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring South Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.2 years in South Dakota and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for South Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks South Dakota's health system 28th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so South Dakota scores better on care.
9.0% of South Dakota residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 17 places apart in South Dakota's favor. Nevada 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 Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
South Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada 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 Nevada, and marijuana is medical only in South Dakota and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.20 an hour in South Dakota and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in South Dakota (blizzard, tornado, drought) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 30 in South Dakota and 40 in Nevada (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
10
South Dakota
2
Nevada
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 Nevada better to live in?
South Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $4,715); South Dakota on everyday costs (index 95 against 101); South Dakota on safety (388 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); South Dakota on schools (ranked 31st against 48th).
Which is cheaper, South Dakota or Nevada?
South Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 101. The median home is $310K in South Dakota and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $670 a year.
Does South Dakota or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, South Dakota or Nevada?
South Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 388 per 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,027 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, South Dakota or Nevada?
South Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks South Dakota 31st of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is South Dakota or Nevada better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. South Dakota does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,348 a year in South Dakota and $2,200 in Nevada.