Detroit, MI vs Sioux Falls, SD
Moving from Detroit to Sioux Falls? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $342,936 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Sioux Falls at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Detroit, MI, you'd need about $91,755 in Sioux Falls, SD (−$8,245).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Sioux Falls, SD: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls ($163 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Sioux Falls, SD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $15,708 | −$2,292 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,870 | −$27 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,200 | −$1,375 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,572 | −$744 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,400 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $5,263 | −$4,284 |
| Total | $40,634 | $33,013 | −$7,622 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Sioux Falls, SD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 90.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 2.15% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 10.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.13 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $342,936 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 1.5% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,309 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 8.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.40% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.18% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $8,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 19 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 14.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $64 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $74 | $68 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 10 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.3 | 26.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 48.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 53% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |