Monthly estimate = 1BR rent + electricity + gas
A one-person monthly baseline (1BR rent plus typical utilities) runs $1,020 in El Paso, TX versus $970 in Rapid City, SD. Overall, Rapid City, SD is roughly 5% cheaper to live in day-to-day than El Paso, TX, driven mainly by natural gas costs.
Median household income is $58,734 in El Paso, TX and $65,712 in Rapid City, SD — about 11% higher in Rapid City, SD. Texas has no state income tax and a 6.25% state sales tax; South Dakota has no state income tax and a 4.2% state sales tax.
Rent
Buying a Home
Income
People & Lifestyle
Crime (per 100k/yr)
FBI Crime Data Explorer. Offenses per 100,000 residents per year; agency reporting practices vary, so this is approximate.
Climate
Gas
Area: Texas vs Midwest (PADD 2).
Public Transit
Adult base one-way fare — Sun Metro vs — (2026).
Utilities
Residential, state-level averages (EIA). MCF = 1,000 cubic feet.
Groceries
Average prices — South vs Midwest (BLS). Regional where available, otherwise U.S. average.
State Taxes
El Paso vs Rapid City — FAQ
- Is it cheaper to live in El Paso or Rapid City?
- Rapid City, SD is cheaper. Its monthly baseline of $970 (1BR rent + utilities) runs about 5% below El Paso, TX's $1,020, mainly because of natural gas costs.
- How much more do you need to earn to live in El Paso than in Rapid City?
- To keep rent near the recommended 30% of gross income, you'd want to earn roughly $33,000 a year in El Paso versus $32,000 in Rapid City.
- Which has lower taxes, El Paso or Rapid City?
- El Paso is taxed under Texas's rules (no state income tax and a 6.25% state sales tax); Rapid City under South Dakota's (no state income tax and a 4.2% state sales tax).
Sources: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year (rent, income, home value, demographics); NOAA Climate Normals 1981–2010 (climate); EIA weekly retail (gas); Tax Foundation 2026 (state taxes).