City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Phoenix | Rapid City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322/mo | $975/mo | 35.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $340,200 | $244,500 | 39.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $72,092 | $62,784 | 14.8% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 95.7 | 2.1% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 102.9 | 82.9 | 24.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 104.2 | 93.4 | 11.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 104.0 | 94.0 | 10.6% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Phoenix, you'd need $78,341 in Rapid City to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rapid City, SD is about 21.7% cheaper overall than Phoenix, AZ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 36% lower in Rapid City than in Phoenix. If you earn $80,000 in Phoenix, you'd need about $62,673 in Rapid City to keep the same standard of living.