Phoenix vs Rapid City
The short version
- Rapid City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 14% lower than in the Phoenix area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,400 in Rapid City and $420,700 in Phoenix.
- Households earn more in Phoenix ($81,332 vs $70,870 median).
- Phoenix has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 36°F.
- Rapid City gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 0.
- Phoenix has more scorching days: 173 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 32.
- Rapid City is growing faster: +7.8% since 2020 vs +3.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rapid City (18 vs 26 minutes each way).
- South Dakota has no state income tax on wages; Arizona's top rate is 2.5%.
Side by side
| Phoenix, AZ | Rapid City, SD | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,665,481 | 80,589 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.6% | +7.8% |
| People per square mile | 3,213 | 1,440 |
| Median age | 34.9 | 39.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,332 | $70,870 |
| Median home value | $420,700 | $299,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.2× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,582 | $1,109 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.3 | 89.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 121.2 | 72.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,500 | $66,900 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 63% |
| Top state income tax | 2.5% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 6.11% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.6 | 17.5 |
| Work from home | 19% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5% | 2.6% |
| Poverty rate | 13.7% | 12.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 46° | 36° / 13° |
| July high / low | 107° / 85° | 86° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 7 in | 17 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 173 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 174 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 78.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 62% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.8% | +45.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Phoenix: November to April. Rapid City: June and August to September.
Full monthly tables: Phoenix weather by month and Rapid City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,500 in Phoenix and $66,900 in Rapid City. Moving from Phoenix to Rapid City, you would need about $64,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Phoenix and Rapid City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Phoenix and Rapid City.
Which would you pick?
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