Sioux Falls, SD vs Boston, MA
Moving from Sioux Falls to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls vs Boston 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 $122,535 in Boston, MA (+$22,535).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($202 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $38,532 | +$22,824 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $5,040 | +$170 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,210 | +$10 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $3,180 | +$1,608 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,800 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $17,694 | +$12,431 |
| Total | $33,013 | $69,455 | +$36,443 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $64 | $108 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $68 | $71 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 26.0 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 48.0 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |