Colorado vs South Dakota

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Colorado

Rank #25

Overall Score

65.1

Category Wins

5/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.51%

Property Tax

0.84%

108

Cost of Living

$2,850

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

180 days

Growing Season

160 days

60"

Annual Rainfall

28"

6/10

Soil Quality

9/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

5.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

87%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Colorado Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 65.1, South Dakota comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $2,850/acre. Colorado has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). Colorado has lower property taxes (0.51% vs 0.84%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Colorado CO	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	4.63%	—
	7.65%	7.33%
	0.51%	0.84%
	108	94
Land & Building
	$2,850	$1,950
	No (Local Adoption)	No (Local Adoption)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	4a-7b	3a-5a
	180	160
	60"	28"
	6	9
	8	6
	4	6
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	5.3	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	7	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	407	348
	48%	42%
Demographics & Community
	48.51	11
	15%	44%
	87%	81%
Business
	#32	#12
	$50/yr	$150/yr
	2.9%	2.7%

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