Moving from South Dakota to Maine
South Dakota to Maine is a move of about 1,887 miles. Median rent is $1,139 a month in Maine and $946 in South Dakota, and the median home is $296,600 against $257,400. South Dakota has no state income tax, against up to 7.15% in Maine. Property tax runs 1.02% of home value in Maine and 1.06% in South Dakota.
Moving to Maine costs about
$830/mo
more than South Dakota each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Utilities cost 70% more in Maine
Power, gas and water run about $227 a month more in Maine than in South Dakota. It is the cost people forget to check, and over a year it is roughly $2,721.
South Dakota vs Maine at a glance
| South Dakota | Maine | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $257,400 | $296,600 |
| Median rent | $946/mo | $1,139/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 1.06% | 1.02% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 95 | 97 |
| Utilities | 80 | 135 |
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: South Dakota vs Maine
| Monthly | SD | ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $946 | $1,139 | +$193 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $0 | $354 | +$354 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $59 | $86 | +$27 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,750 | $1,781 | +$31 |
| Utilities | $325 | $552 | +$227 |
| Total | +$832 | ||
Cost to move from South Dakota to Maine
$3,300 to $7,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $850 to $1,250, against roughly $600 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 4-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Sioux Falls is not South Dakota-average and Portland is not Maine-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 Maine, 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.