Moving from Louisiana to South Dakota
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Louisiana and South Dakota, side by side.
Moving to South Dakota costs about
-$230/mo
less than Louisiana each month, renting
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 14 months
Moving costs somewhere around $3,068, and South Dakota runs about $230 a month cheaper. After roughly 14 months you are ahead.
Louisiana vs South Dakota at a glance
| Louisiana | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $216,500 | $257,400 |
| Median rent | $1,064/mo | $946/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.00% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% | 1.06% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 95 |
| Utilities | 71 | 80 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | LA | SD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,064 | $946 | -$118 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $168 | $0 | -$168 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $70 | $59 | -$11 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,718 | $1,750 | +$33 |
| Utilities | $292 | $325 | +$33 |
| Total | -$230 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,600 to $5,700
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $750 to $1,100, against roughly $400 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. New Orleans is not Louisiana-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
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.