New Study Says It’s Cheaper to Live In South Dakota

Who'd of thought that it's cheaper to live in South Dakota than it is in most of the other United States?  That's the word from the US Department of Commerce.

The Mitchell Daily Republic reported:

Life is most expensive for people living in Hawaii, New York and Washington, D.C., and cheapest for those in South Dakota, North Dakota and Mississippi, according to U.S. government data released on Wednesday.  People in Hawaii paid 116 percent of the national average prices for a standardized mix of goods and services.  Those in New York paid 114.3 percent and those in the nation’s capital 114.2 percent.

The reason rested on high rents and prices for services, according to the report. In 2011 Hawaii had the highest median housing costs for renters in the country, $1,308 a month, according to the U.S. Census.  Lower rents and prices for services helped keep down costs for people in South Dakota, who paid 87 percent of average prices in 2011, and in North Dakota and Mississippi, who paid 88.7 percent, according to the Commerce Department.

Personal incomes adjusted for inflation rose the most in South Dakota from 2010 to 2011, by 10.4 percent, the calculations showed. It was followed by North Dakota at 9.5 percent, Iowa at 6.1 percent, Nebraska at 6 percent, and Texas at 4.3 percent.

So even if your bank balance doesn't make you feel richer, maybe this report will?  Do you feel like your dollars go farther here in South Dakota?