Moving from Kentucky to South Dakota
Kentucky to South Dakota is a move of about 1,137 miles. Median rent is $946 a month in South Dakota and $967 in Kentucky, and the median home is $257,400 against $205,600. South Dakota has no state income tax, against a flat 3.50% in Kentucky. Property tax runs 1.06% of home value in South Dakota and 0.75% in Kentucky.
Moving to South Dakota costs about
$350/mo
less than Kentucky each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 9 months
Moving costs somewhere around $2,901, and South Dakota runs about $350 a month cheaper. After roughly 9 months you are ahead.
Kentucky vs South Dakota at a glance
| Kentucky | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $205,600 | $257,400 |
| Median rent | $967/mo | $946/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.50% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% | 1.06% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 95 |
| Utilities | 75 | 80 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Kentucky vs South Dakota
| Monthly | KY | SD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $967 | $946 | -$21 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $224 | $0 | -$224 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $89 | None | -$89 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $86 | $59 | -$27 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,759 | $1,750 | -$9 |
| Utilities | $308 | $325 | +$17 |
| Total | -$353 | ||
Cost to move from Kentucky to South Dakota
$2,400 to $5,400
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $950, against roughly $400 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Louisville is not Kentucky-average and Sioux Falls is not South Dakota-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in South Dakota, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.