City comparison
San Antonio, TX vs Sioux Falls, SD
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Antonio, TX are 4.5% higher than in Sioux Falls, SD. Someone earning $100,000 in Sioux Falls, SD would need about $104,500 in San Antonio, TX to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,177 a month in San Antonio, TX versus $986 in Sioux Falls, SD. On $100,000, that's 18% of take-home pay in San Antonio, TX and 15% in Sioux Falls, SD.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in SD.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −1.4% moving from San Antonio, TX to Sioux Falls, SD ($108,001 → $106,437), while prices change by −4.3%. Net effect of the transfer: +3.0% in real buying power.
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
- Sioux Falls, SD: price level 90.6 (much cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| San Antonio, TX | Sioux Falls, SD | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 94.7 | 90.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $95,687 in Sioux Falls | $104,507 in San Antonio |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,177/mo | $986/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (SD) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 18% | 15% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,010 | $47,970 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Sioux Falls, SD HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX and Sioux Falls, SD-MN.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | San Antonio | Sioux Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 94.6 | 77.6 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 95.5 |
| Utilities | 82.2 | 80.7 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 91.9 |
| Overall | 94.7 | 90.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
San Antonio, TX → Sioux Falls, SD
Same pay goes further
Buying power +4.5%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
83 Strong offer
Sioux Falls, SD → San Antonio, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −4.3%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
55 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
San Antonio, TX is in the San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX pay area; Sioux Falls, SD is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from San Antonio, TX to Sioux Falls, SD at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | San Antonio, TX | Sioux Falls, SD | Real change, San Antonio → Sioux Falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,629 | $61,722 | +3.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $75,776 | $74,678 | +3.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $90,823 | $89,508 | +3.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,001 | $106,437 | +3.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $127,624 | $125,776 | +3.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | San Antonio, TX | Sioux Falls, SD | Sioux Falls pay in San Antonio dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $61,720 | $50,040 | $52,295 (−15.3%) |
| Software Developers | $128,430 | $101,040 | $105,594 (−17.8%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $78,650 | $80,920 | $84,567 (+7.5%) |
| Registered Nurses | $94,370 | $75,350 | $78,746 (−16.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.