Ranked 7 of 15 states · median $725/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old personal chef in South Dakota pays a median $725/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 7th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $512 from Avera in Lincoln. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, South Dakota ranks 12 of 15 for this occupation.
Trade work concentrates cost into rare, expensive events rather than spreading it across the year. That inverts the usual shopping logic: a lower premium with a $9,200 ceiling is a worse deal than a higher premium with a $6,000 one, because the ceiling is what you actually hit. These rankings follow the ceiling.
Occupational context: Burns and cuts; prolonged standing; heat exposure.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in South Dakota are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
Premium is set by rating area, so a personal chef in one South Dakota county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota | $761 | Wellmark of South Dakota | $5,000 | 3 |
| Minnehaha | $512 | Avera | $6,000 | 2 |
| Hutchinson | $532 | Avera | $6,000 | 2 |
| Clark | $679 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
| Faulk | $679 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
| Roberts | $679 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
The spread across just these six is $249/month — $2,989 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $512 to $882. Coverage by County publishes all 66 South Dakota counties individually.
| South Dakota — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $559 — Sanford |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $512 — Avera |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $715 |
For a personal chef, the gap between $0 and $0 in annual out-of-pocket maximum is worth more than any premium difference on this page. One serious injury reaches that ceiling regardless of which plan you picked.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 1,822 plan records across 66 South Dakota counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687), Michigan ($708). More expensive: Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765), Florida ($789).
Side-by-side: South Dakota vs Wisconsin · South Dakota vs Michigan · South Dakota vs Oklahoma · South Dakota vs Kansas
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether South Dakota is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a personal chef weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Ingredients, knives and equipment, vehicle, licensing. Note the ordering problem with health premiums: the §162(l) deduction lowers your AGI, and your AGI is what sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other. That is a CPA conversation and worth having before you enroll, not after.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in South Dakota is $512 per month from Avera, with a state median of $725. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in South Dakota uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, PPO.
South Dakota ranks 7 of 15 states covered here, at a median $725 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For South Dakota specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Personal Chefs in South Dakota and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.