South Dakota is known for being one of the most affordable states to live in (hello, no income tax and below-average home prices!), so you can imagine our shock when we heard that there is one side to our state that is actually expensive! The culprit? Our cars and roads:

As per 24/7 Wall Street's recent report on The Most Expensive States to Drive, SoDak is - surprisingly - one of the worst states thanks to several factors.
Flickr/Geof Wilson
According to the report - which "calculated the annual average cost of car ownership based on the average cost of repair, insurance, and gasoline" - South Dakota's prices were sky high compared to others, beginning with an average annual cost of car ownership of $3,035 (versus $1,960 in Maine, the lowest cost).
Flickr/Loren Kerns
In addition to the higher than average cost of car ownership, South Dakota came in as the 12th most expensive in other categories, including average annual insurance costs ($1,575) and the annual gasoline expenditure per licensed driver ($1,083).
Flickr/Joe Goldberg

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As of June 20, 2021, SoDak also had the 21st highest gas cost in the country at a whopping $3.09 per gallon!
Flickr/Michael Kappel
Did that pesky check engine light go off? If so, we have some good news and bad news, as the average cost in parts is the 13th lowest ($223), yet the 9th highest ($154) in terms of labor.
Flickr/Jonathan Khoo
To learn more about this and other fascinating reports, please visit our friends at 24/7 Wall Street.
Flickr/Andrea Church

Do you have a special event, restaurant, or attraction that you would like to see featured here on Only in South Dakota? We would love to hear about it here! While you are hitting the road (and, apparently, spending all the money!), be sure to check out The Sica Hollow Trail Of The Spirits In South Dakota Is One Of The Scariest Haunted Hikes In The U.S.

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