Sioux Falls, SD vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Sioux Falls to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls vs Phoenix 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 $116,189 in Phoenix, AZ (+$16,189).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($202 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $20,904 | +$5,196 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $4,919 | +$50 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,960 | +$760 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $1,668 | +$96 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,800 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $7,280 | +$2,017 |
| Total | $33,013 | $40,531 | +$7,519 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 34 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |