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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to move a car into or out of South Dakota, why a truck to Rapid City costs more than one leaving it, and what the county treasurer needs to title a car you bring in.
Written by Adam Scott, Coordinator at Broadway Auto Transport · October 20, 2026 · Prices updated October 20, 2026
Live carrier rates · ~30 seconds
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The short answer
A running sedan on an open carrier costs about $770 from Chicago to Sioux Falls in October 2026, $685 from Denver to Rapid City and $2,100 from Los Angeles to Rapid City. Leaving is often cheaper: Sioux Falls to Los Angeles is about $1,140. Winter blizzards close I-90 and can push a pickup back a day or more.
Leaving South Dakota costs less on 2 of the 6 pairs priced this month. Carriers price the empty miles home, so the busier direction costs more. Each pair below is the same out-of-state city in both directions, running sedan, open carrier.
Denver
Chicago
Dallas
Seattle
Los Angeles
Phoenix
What it costs
Shipping a car from Los Angeles to Rapid City costs about $2,100 this month. Shipping one from Sioux Falls to Los Angeles, a trip about 300 miles longer, costs about $1,140. Few car haulers end a run in western South Dakota, and the ones that take a Rapid City delivery have a long, often empty drive to their next load, which they price into the trip. Rapid City to Phoenix is about $1,575 for the same 1,333 miles as the Los Angeles run, and Phoenix to Sioux Falls about $1,380. Shorter runs into Rapid City cost much less: Denver to Rapid City, 409 miles, is about $685.
The state's shipping map is simple. I-90 crosses it from Minnesota to Wyoming through Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Chamberlain, Rapid City and Spearfish, and I-29 runs north from Sioux City through Sioux Falls, Brookings and Watertown toward Fargo. Sioux Falls, where the two meet, is the state's largest city and its easiest pickup. Pierre, the capital, and Aberdeen sit off both interstates, and a farm or ranch address on a gravel section road almost always means meeting the truck on the nearest paved highway. The prices on this page come from twelve lanes we priced in October 2026, for a running sedan on an open carrier.
These are October 2026 figures for the state. Your exact lane, vehicle, and week take about 30 seconds.
See my exact priceLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Approximate prices, October 2026 · open carrier · running sedan · 12 South Dakota lanes
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the South Dakota lanes we priced this month. Use them to plan. Sioux Falls and towns on I-29 or I-90 sit at the low end, and Rapid City deliveries from far away sit high. Pierre, Aberdeen, the reservations and ranch country take longer to schedule. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair in about 30 seconds, and that quote holds for 14 days.
What moves the number
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier. Larger vehicles, enclosed trailers, and peak weeks cost more; the calculator prices your exact shipment.
Lanes · October 2026
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, with the range most trucks on the lane land in. “Truck assigned in” is how long it usually takes to find a carrier. Transit is what one driver covers at 400 to 500 miles a day after that.
$770most trucks $620–$920
571 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–23 hours
I-90 carries the truck from Chicago through Madison, La Crosse and southern Minnesota straight into Sioux Falls, 571 miles with no detours. About $770 this month, with most quotes between roughly $620 and $920.
Price this route$685most trucks $560–$815
409 mi1–2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–24 hours
The run leaves I-25 in eastern Wyoming and crosses ranch country on two-lane highways into the southern Black Hills. About $685 for 409 miles. In the other direction, Sioux Falls to Denver costs about $555.
Price this route$2,100most trucks $1,755–$2,445
1,333 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
At about $2,100, this is the most expensive lane on the page, nearly double the $1,140 for Sioux Falls to Los Angeles. Drivers price in the empty miles out of western South Dakota, so book with a pickup range of several days.
Price this route$1,575most trucks $1,420–$1,725
1,333 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–17 hours
Snowbirds send cars down this lane in October and November, south through Wyoming and Denver and on to Albuquerque. About $1,575 for 1,333 miles, while Phoenix to Sioux Falls, the spring return, runs about $1,380.
Price this route$1,140most trucks $745–$1,535
1,642 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–22 hours
Trucks head southwest toward Denver and finish on I-70 and I-15 through Utah and Las Vegas. About $1,140 for 1,642 miles, under 70 cents a mile, the lowest rate per mile we priced for South Dakota.
Price this route$555most trucks $470–$640
628 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–4 days
The 628 miles cross the Nebraska plains, about a day and a half on the road once the car is loaded. About $555 this month. Winter wind and snow can shut roads across Nebraska and northeast Colorado for hours.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO → Rapid City, SD | 409 | $685 | $560–$815 | 1–24 hours | 1–2 days | 409 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–24 hours |
| Chicago, IL → Sioux Falls, SD | 571 | $770 | $620–$920 | 1–23 hours | 2 days | 571 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–23 hours |
| Dallas, TX → Sioux Falls, SD | 835 | $955 | $730–$1,180 | — | 2–3 days | 835 mi · 2–3 days |
| Seattle, WA → Rapid City, SD | 1,136 | $1,260 | $965–$1,550 | 1–4 days | 3 days | 1,136 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Los Angeles, CA → Rapid City, SD | 1,333 | $2,100 | $1,755–$2,445 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,333 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Phoenix, AZ → Sioux Falls, SD | 1,540 | $1,380 | $1,020–$1,740 | 1–2 days | 4 days | 1,540 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD → Denver, CO | 628 | $555 | $470–$640 | 1–4 days | 2 days | 628 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Rapid City, SD → Chicago, IL | 911 | $855 | $725–$990 | 1–6 days | 2–3 days | 911 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–6 days |
| Rapid City, SD → Dallas, TX | 1,058 | $960 | $480–$1,435 | 1–3 hours | 3 days | 1,058 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–3 hours |
| Rapid City, SD → Phoenix, AZ | 1,333 | $1,575 | $1,420–$1,725 | 1–17 hours | 3–4 days | 1,333 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Sioux Falls, SD → Seattle, WA | 1,477 | $1,475 | $1,070–$1,880 | 1–11 hours | 3–4 days | 1,477 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–11 hours |
| Sioux Falls, SD → Los Angeles, CA | 1,642 | $1,140 | $745–$1,535 | 1–22 hours | 4–5 days | 1,642 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–22 hours |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in South Dakota prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in South Dakota the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Sioux Falls sits where I-29 meets I-90, and I-229 loops the east and south sides, so most addresses are a short run from an interstate. Chicago to Sioux Falls is about $770 and Dallas to Sioux Falls about $955. Heading out, Sioux Falls to Denver is about $555, the lowest price we have for any South Dakota lane.
Rapid City is the last large city on I-90 before Wyoming. Carriers that deliver here often drive away empty, and the inbound price carries those miles. Los Angeles to Rapid City runs about $2,100 and Seattle to Rapid City about $1,260, while Rapid City to Chicago is about $855. South Dakota Mines students move in each August.
Box Elder is the town outside Ellsworth Air Force Base, about ten miles east of Rapid City on I-90. The Air Force picked Ellsworth as the first home of the B-21 bomber, and summer PCS orders bring families in and out. The driver meets you outside the gate, at an I-90 exit or a lot in town.
Price a pickup in Box ElderBrookings is on I-29 about 55 miles north of Sioux Falls, and South Dakota State University sets its shipping calendar. Late August move-in and May move-out are the two windows to book early. Campus lots and the apartment complexes near the interstate usually work as a door pickup for a full carrier.
Price a pickup in BrookingsSpearfish is on I-90 at the north edge of the Black Hills, home to Black Hills State University and the closest large town to Sturgis. During the rally in early August, I-90 between Rapid City and Spearfish crawls, so schedule a pickup the week before or after. Cars from Deadwood and Lead often meet the truck here.
Price a pickup in SpearfishPierre, the capital, is on the Missouri River about 35 miles north of I-90, reached on US-83 from Vivian or US-14 from the east. With no interstate, it sees fewer trucks. Give the coordinator a wider pickup range, or drive down to the I-90 junction if the car needs to move sooner.
Price a pickup in PierreAberdeen, on US-12 and US-281 in the northeast, is the farthest of South Dakota's larger towns from an interstate, about 75 miles west of I-29. Northern State University students arrive in late August. Expect a meet-up on US-12 or a longer wait for a truck, especially in winter when wind closes the open highways.
Price a pickup in AberdeenSioux Falls takes most of the cars coming in, from people moving for work in the city's banks and hospitals, and it is an easy delivery from Chicago, Minneapolis or Omaha. Chicago to Sioux Falls is about $770 this month for 571 miles, and Dallas to Sioux Falls about $955. Rapid City and the Black Hills are the other destination, and deliveries there cost more from far away; from Seattle it is about $1,260, and from Los Angeles about $2,100.
Ellsworth Air Force Base, east of Rapid City at Box Elder, moves airmen and their families on summer PCS orders, and an I-90 address makes it a straightforward delivery to the lot outside the gate. Students arrive in August at South Dakota State in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, both near I-29, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City, at Black Hills State in Spearfish, and at Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls. South Dakota is also a common legal home for full-time RVers. If you title a car here without a South Dakota driver's license, ID card or physical address, the state adds $100 to the title fee.
Outbound lanes are where South Dakota prices look good. Sioux Falls to Denver is about $555 for 628 miles, Rapid City to Chicago about $855 and Sioux Falls to Los Angeles about $1,140. Rapid City to Chicago can take several days to assign a truck, so a flexible pickup range helps more there than a fixed date does.
The seasonal outbound move is south. South Dakotans who winter in Arizona and Texas send cars down in October and November; Rapid City to Phoenix is about $1,575 and Rapid City to Dallas about $960 this month. The Dallas lane has the widest range of anything we priced here, roughly $480 to $1,435, so the exact pickup week and ZIP code matter more than usual; run the calculator before you plan around the middle figure. Students and new graduates leave in May, and Ellsworth families leave in summer.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the South Dakota addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
Almost every car hauler in the state is on I-90 or I-29. Sioux Falls, Brookings, Watertown, Mitchell and Rapid City are regular stops, and Chamberlain and Wall are on the way across. Spearfish sits on I-90 at the northern edge of the Black Hills and works like Rapid City. Pierre is on the Missouri River north of I-90 with no interstate, and Aberdeen is on US-12 in the northeast; both see fewer trucks, and a pickup there often means meeting the driver on the route the truck already runs.
The Black Hills are the place to plan a meet-up. Keystone, Hill City, Custer, Lead and Deadwood are reached on winding two-lane roads, and the scenic routes around Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park, Iron Mountain Road and the Needles Highway, have tunnels too narrow for any truck. A Black Hills address usually meets the carrier in Rapid City or Spearfish. Out on the prairie, ranches and farms sit on gravel section roads that a loaded 75-foot rig will not use in mud or snow, so the meet-up moves to the closest paved highway or a town lot.
South Dakota's shipping winter runs from November into April. Blizzards and ground blizzards, where wind lifts snow that has already fallen into whiteouts, close long stretches of I-90 and I-29, and the state shuts the gates until the plows and visibility catch up. A truck caught west of Chamberlain can sit for a day. Your coordinator texts a new window when that happens, and the price you booked does not change. Spring snowstorms in March and April are common enough that a pickup range of several days is wise into May.
The other date to plan around is early August, when the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally fills the Black Hills and the I-90 corridor between Rapid City and Spearfish with riders for about ten days. Car haulers get through, but slowly, and Black Hills pickups that week are harder to schedule. If the move can wait, book it for the week after the rally.
The confirmed pickup window comes by text from your coordinator the day before.
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the South Dakota lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
South Dakota rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The South Dakota Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division is the source, and your county treasurer handles the paperwork and can confirm local fees.
Questions
Chicago to Sioux Falls runs about $770 for a running sedan on an open carrier in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $620 and $920. It is 571 miles, one to two days once loaded. Heading east, Rapid City to Chicago is about $855, though that lane can take a few days to assign a carrier.
Los Angeles to Rapid City is about $2,100 in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $1,755 and $2,445, because few carriers end a run in western South Dakota and the driver prices in the empty miles to the next load. Going the other way is much cheaper: Sioux Falls to Los Angeles, a longer trip, is about $1,140.
Rapid City to Phoenix is about $1,575 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $1,420 and $1,725, for 1,333 miles and about three days on the road. Phoenix to Sioux Falls, the spring return, is about $1,380. Snowbirds heading south in October and November should book two to three weeks ahead.
The carrier waits for the road to reopen, then picks up in the next window. Most closures last hours to a day; a big storm can hold a truck longer. Your coordinator texts the new dates, and the quoted price stays the same. Nothing is due until a carrier is dispatched.
To a spot nearby. Keystone, Hill City, Custer, Lead and Deadwood are on winding two-lane roads, and the routes near Mount Rushmore have tunnels no truck can pass. The driver usually meets you in Rapid City or Spearfish, on I-90. Your coordinator sets the spot before you book. Avoid the Sturgis rally week in early August if you can.
Within 90 days of arriving, title and register it at your county treasurer's office with your original out-of-state title, a copy of your driver's license and your Social Security number. South Dakota's 4% excise tax is credited for tax you paid in another state. Without a South Dakota license, ID or physical address, the title fee is $100 higher.
Denver to Rapid City is about $685 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $560 and $815, for 409 miles, usually a one-day run. Sioux Falls to Denver is about $555 for 628 miles. Both lanes cross open high plains, where winter wind and snow close roads.
The data
The numbers are rebuilt from our own pricing each month and published with the page, so the dates above are the real ones.
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