Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
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South Dakota is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $725/month for the median Silver plan, versus $789 — a difference of $64/month (9%) before subsidies.
| South Dakota | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $725 | $789 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $512 | $554 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $882 | $2,203 |
| Age 27 | $420 | $454 |
| Age 60 | $1,087 | $1,177 |
| Carriers | 3 | 15 |
| Counties | 66 | 67 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 1 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, PPO | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO |
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits; not a quote or an offer of coverage.
This page sets two states against each other. For county-by-county carriers, plan data and help actually enrolling, I publish a page for each state on Coverage by County: South Dakota or Florida. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Change the age or income and both states recalculate: the 2027 marketplace price after any tax credit, and the private plan estimate.
| Monthly, age 45, $85,000 | South Dakota | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $815 | $852 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $815 | $852 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $255–$485 | $365–$515 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $446 a year more in Florida than in South Dakota, at full price in both, since that income is over the tax-credit line.
2027 estimates: KFF 2026 benchmark raised by each state’s average 2027 change, on the federal age curve; 2027 tax credit rules. Your county will differ. Every state at once: what you would pay in each state.
Put your ZIP code in and a licensed agent will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to a licensed agent — not a call center.
Relocating between South Dakota and Florida counts as a qualifying life event. That buys a 60-day special enrollment period, dated from the move, to choose among Florida’s 15 filing carriers. Two conditions apply: at least one day of qualifying coverage during the 60 days beforehand, and the move cannot be purely for medical treatment or a holiday.
Nothing transfers. You close the South Dakota plan and enroll fresh against Florida’s 67 counties, which means a new network and a new price regardless of which insurer you land on.
The carrier lists do not intersect — 3 in South Dakota, 15 in Florida, none shared. Expect to start a relationship with a new insurer, likely one of 22 Health and Ambetter Health.
Both sides keep the option open: PPOs are sold in every county — 66 in South Dakota, 67 in Florida. That is the type most likely to cover care outside its network, and it is the one to prioritise if you will genuinely be in both rather than simply leaving.
Splitting the year does not mean splitting the coverage. You can hold a marketplace plan only in your state of primary residence — the address you file from — not one in South Dakota and another in Florida. The cost lands on care received in whichever of the two you did not choose.
Neither South Dakota nor Florida has one price. Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will pull the plans in that county and work out what help you qualify for.
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