Maine vs South Dakota

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

Maine

Rank #9

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.9

Category Wins

2/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.24%

Property Tax

0.84%

108.4

Cost of Living

$3,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

160 days

Growing Season

160 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

28"

5/10

Soil Quality

9/10

10/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

80%

Broadband

81%

Maine Edges Out South Dakota Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.9 vs 69.6, Maine comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 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 $3,200/acre. South Dakota has lower property taxes (0.84% vs 1.24%). South Dakota is more affordable with a cost of living index of 94 vs 108.4.

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	Maine ME	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	7.15%	—
	5.5%	7.33%
	1.24%	0.84%
	108.4	94
Land & Building
	$3,200	$1,950
	Partial	No (Local Adoption)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	3b-6a	3a-5a
	160	160
	48"	28"
	5	9
	2	6
	1	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Minimal
	8	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Retail Sales)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	112	348
	25%	42%
Demographics & Community
	44.2	11
	61%	44%
	80%	81%
Business
	#38	#12
	$175/yr	$150/yr
	3%	2.7%

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