Daycare cost · South Dakota
How much does daycare cost in South Dakota?
Full-time infant care at a South Dakota daycare center cost a median of $120 a week in the latest federal county survey. A home daycare charged $100 a week for a baby.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $120
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $114
- Counties priced
- 66
By age
Daycare prices by age in South Dakota
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in South Dakota; the posted figures are the middle rate on South Dakota daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $120 | $100 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $120 | $100 | Too few to show |
| Preschool | $114 | $100 | Too few to show |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $115 | $109 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; South Dakota figure = the median of 66 county medians. Fewer than 30 South Dakota daycares post a usable full-time rate for any one age group, so this page does not give a posted figure for South Dakota.
Reading the numbers
Where these figures come from
The 2022 prices come from the U.S. Department of Labor's county survey, built from South Dakota's own surveys of what providers charge. Every one of the 66 counties counts the same, and most are rural counties that share one price, so the state figure sits at that level.
We read 84 South Dakota daycare websites, but too few post a full-time weekly rate for any one age to give a 2026 figure. Ask each daycare for its current rate.
By county
Where daycare costs more in South Dakota
Lowest county price
$120a week for center infant care in Aurora County and 52 other countiesHighest county price
$178a week for center infant care in Minnehaha County and 1 other countyMinnehaha County
$178a week for center infant care; the most populous county in South DakotaPennington County
$154a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousLincoln County
$178a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousMost South Dakota counties had the same 2022 price, $120 a week for center infant care. Prices run higher where the towns are larger: $150 a week in counties such as Brown, which includes Aberdeen, and Brookings, $154 in Pennington County, which includes Rapid City, and $178 in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, which share Sioux Falls.
Home daycares cost less. The middle county charged $100 a week for infant care in a home daycare, and in Minnehaha County it was $120 against $178 at a center.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $6,240
- of the middle county household income ($65,771)
- 9%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 1 of 66
Every county
Daycare prices in every South Dakota county
Weekly county survey prices for full-time care, A to Z. Select a column heading to sort by it. The towns are where most of each county's daycares on DaycarePal are.
| Towns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Beadle | $120 | $114 | $100 | Huron |
| Bennett | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Bon Homme | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Brookings | $150 | $136 | $102 | Brookings |
| Brown | $150 | $136 | $102 | Aberdeen |
| Brule | $120 | $114 | $100 | Chamberlain |
| Buffalo | $120 | $114 | $100 | Fort Thompson |
| Butte | $120 | $114 | $100 | Belle Fourche |
| Campbell | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Charles Mix | $120 | $114 | $100 | Wagner |
| Clark | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Clay | $150 | $136 | $102 | Vermillion |
| Codington | $150 | $136 | $102 | Watertown |
| Corson | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Custer | $120 | $114 | $100 | Custer |
| Davison | $150 | $136 | $102 | Mitchell |
| Day | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Deuel | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Dewey | $120 | $114 | $100 | Mobridge |
| Douglas | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Edmunds | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Fall River | $120 | $114 | $100 | Edgemont |
| Faulk | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Grant | $120 | $114 | $100 | Milbank |
| Gregory | $120 | $114 | $100 | Burke |
| Haakon | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Hamlin | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Hand | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Hanson | $120 | $114 | $100 | Alexandria |
| Harding | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Hughes | $150 | $136 | $102 | Pierre |
| Hutchinson | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Hyde | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Jackson | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Jerauld | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Jones | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Kingsbury | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Lake | $150 | $136 | $102 | Madison |
| Lawrence | $150 | $136 | $102 | Spearfish |
| Lincoln | $178 | $167 | $120 | Sioux FallsHarrisburgTea |
| Lyman | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Marshall | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| McCook | $120 | $114 | $100 | Salem |
| McPherson | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Meade | $120 | $114 | $100 | Box ElderBlack HawkSturgis |
| Mellette | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Miner | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Minnehaha | $178 | $167 | $120 | Sioux FallsBrandonHartford |
| Moody | $120 | $114 | $100 | Flandreau |
| Oglala Lakota | $120 | $114 | $100 | Pine RidgePorcupine |
| Pennington | $154 | $145 | $115 | Rapid City |
| Perkins | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Potter | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Roberts | $120 | $114 | $100 | SissetonWilmot |
| Sanborn | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Spink | $120 | $114 | $100 | Redfield |
| Stanley | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Sully | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Todd | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Tripp | $120 | $114 | $100 | Winner |
| Turner | $120 | $114 | $100 | Parker |
| Union | $150 | $136 | $102 | North Sioux CityAlcester |
| Walworth | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
| Yankton | $150 | $136 | $102 | Yankton |
| Ziebach | $120 | $114 | $100 | None listed |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
South Dakota's Child Care Assistance program, run by the Department of Social Services, helps families who work or go to school and have lower incomes pay for care. Ask a daycare whether it accepts it.
Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5.
Home daycares often cost less, and DaycarePal lists 277 of them in South Dakota: see home daycares. Part-time schedules can lower the bill too.
- Home daycares in South Dakota
- Part-time daycare in South Dakota
- Child care resources for South Dakota families (childcare.gov)
- Head Start center locator (Office of Head Start)
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in South Dakota
How much is daycare per month in South Dakota?
About $520 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $120 a week. A home daycare came to about $433 a month, and center preschool to about $494.
How much does infant care cost a year in South Dakota?
About $6,240 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 9% of the middle county's household income ($65,771). In 1 of the 66 counties, it took more than 20% of household income.
Does home daycare cost less than a center in South Dakota?
Yes, in the 2022 survey. The middle county charged $100 a week for infant care at a home daycare and $120 at a center; for preschoolers it was $100 against $114.
Where does daycare cost the most in South Dakota?
Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, around Sioux Falls, at $178 a week for center infant care in 2022. Pennington County, around Rapid City, was at $154.
Why is there no 2026 price from daycare websites?
Of the 84 South Dakota daycare websites we read, too few post a full-time weekly rate for any one age. Ask each daycare for its current rate.
We are a directory, not the daycare. Each daycare sets its own prices; ask for the current rate for your child's age and schedule.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 county prices and household incomes); rates posted on South Dakota daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in South Dakota for each daycare's own listing.