Cost of Living in Bismarck
Bismarck's cost-of-living picture runs genuinely below both the national and North Dakota statewide averages -- a cited BestPlaces cost-of-living score of 95.2 puts it approximately 4.8% below the national figure and approximately 7.4% below the state average.
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Learn moreA Genuinely Below-National, Below-State-Average Overall Cost of Living
A cited BestPlaces cost-of-living score of 95.2 puts Bismarck's overall living costs at approximately 4.8% BELOW the national average and approximately 7.4% below North Dakota's own statewide average -- a real, genuinely affordable overall cost picture relative to several other Tier A+ markets in this project's dataset.
Housing Runs Meaningfully Below the National Average
A separately cited figure put Bismarck's housing costs at approximately 30% cheaper than the U.S. average, with utilities around 17% less expensive -- broadly consistent with this record's own disclosed housing-market research (see the housing-market topic page for the fuller cross-source price picture).
A Genuinely Low-Rate Income Tax Offsets a Moderate Combined Sales Tax and Above-National Property Tax
As detailed on the taxes topic page, North Dakota's real, current graduated state income tax tops out at a genuinely low 2.50%, even as Bismarck's own property tax rate (~1.09%) runs above the national comparison figure (though below North Dakota's own state median) and the combined 8% sales tax runs at a moderate rate nationally. Movers should weigh the full combined picture rather than either factor alone.
A Real, Disclosed Gap on a Fully Itemized Household Budget
This record's own web-search budget this pass did not surface a single, comprehensive, itemized sample household budget (e.g., a specific dollar figure for a single person or family of four) for Bismarck to the same numeric depth achieved for some other Tier A+ markets in this project -- a real, disclosed gap. Movers should budget based on the specific, itemized costs (housing, rent, taxes, insurance) detailed on this project's other Bismarck topic pages.
Key takeaways
- Bismarck's cited cost-of-living index (95.2) runs approximately 4.8% below the national average and 7.4% below the North Dakota state average.
- Housing specifically is cited as approximately 30% cheaper than the U.S. average, broadly consistent with this record's disclosed housing-price research.
- North Dakota's genuinely low-rate income tax (topping out at 2.50%) is a real, genuine cost advantage, even as property tax and sales tax run more moderately.
- This record did not find a single, comprehensive itemized sample household budget for Bismarck this pass -- budget from the itemized figures on this project's other Bismarck topic pages instead.
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