Moving from Wyoming 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 Wyoming and South Dakota, side by side.
Moving to South Dakota costs about
About the same
Wyoming and South Dakota work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
A cheaper house in South Dakota, a bigger property tax bill
The median home in South Dakota costs $257,400 against $309,700 in Wyoming, but you would pay about $2,728 a year in property tax rather than $1,765. The rate more than cancels the lower price.
Wyoming vs South Dakota at a glance
| Wyoming | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $309,700 | $257,400 |
| Median rent | $992/mo | $946/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.57% | 1.06% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 95 | 95 |
| Utilities | 78 | 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 | WY | SD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $992 | $946 | -$46 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $58 | $59 | $0 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,748 | $1,750 | +$2 |
| Utilities | $320 | $325 | +$5 |
| Total | -$40 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,600 to $3,900
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $500 to $750, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Cheyenne is not Wyoming-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.