Sioux Falls, SD vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Sioux Falls to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls vs Atlanta 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 Sioux Falls, SD, you'd need about $111,533 in Atlanta, GA (+$11,533).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($202 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $22,080 | +$6,372 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $4,926 | +$57 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,515 | +$315 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $1,656 | +$84 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,100 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $10,533 | +$5,270 |
| Total | $33,013 | $44,810 | +$11,798 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.15 |
| Natural gas / mo | $64 | $74 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $68 | $123 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $88 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 34 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 26.0 | 50.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 48.0 | 2.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |