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 $765 — a difference of $40/month (5%) before subsidies.
| South Dakota | Kansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $725 | $765 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $512 | $565 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $882 | $979 |
| Age 27 | $420 | $463 |
| Age 60 | $1,087 | $1,200 |
| Carriers | 3 | 6 |
| Counties | 66 | 105 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 14 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, PPO | EPO |
Network note: Kansas has no PPO plans in 2026 while South Dakota does.
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 Kansas. 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 | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $815 | $905 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $815 | $905 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $255–$485 | $255–$475 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $1,078 a year more in Kansas 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.
A South Dakota-to-Kansas move triggers a 60-day special enrollment period, so the 6 carriers filing in Kansas are open to you outside the usual window. The catch is on both ends — you normally need to have carried qualifying coverage for a day or more in the 60 days before moving, and moves made for treatment or travel are excluded.
There is no transfer to request. South Dakota coverage stops, Kansas coverage starts, and the premium is rebuilt from your new county rather than carried over.
There is no overlap to lean on: none of South Dakota’s 3 carriers file in Kansas, where 6 other insurers write instead. Changing state means changing company.
The plan types do not match up. PPOs cover all 66 counties in South Dakota and zero of the 105 in Kansas. Since the PPO is the one type that reliably pays out of network, moving into Kansas narrows where you can be seen rather than just changing what you pay.
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 Kansas. The cost lands on care received in whichever of the two you did not choose.
Picking between South Dakota and Kansas on the headline number is a mistake. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will show you what is actually filed for you.
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