City comparison
Appleton, WI is about 425 miles (650 km) from Sioux Falls, SD in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 500 miles, or about 8 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Appleton, WI to Sioux Falls, SD takes about 50 min, covering roughly 425 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Sioux Falls has a population of 193,401, vs 75,133 in Appleton — about 2.6× larger by population. By land area, Sioux Falls covers about 84 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for Appleton.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Appleton | Sioux Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $913/mo | $965/mo | 5.7% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Median home value | $192,200 | $250,000 | 30.1% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Median household income | $75,469 | $71,785 | 5.1% higher in Appleton |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 95.5 | 1.6% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Utilities index | 90.7 | 81.7 | 11.0% higher in Appleton |
| Transportation index | 99.2 | 92.3 | 7.4% higher in Appleton |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 92.5 | 7.4% higher in Appleton |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Appleton, you'd need $100,047 in Sioux Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Appleton and Sioux Falls have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in Sioux Falls than in Appleton. If you earn $80,000 in Appleton, you'd need about $80,037 in Sioux Falls to keep the same standard of living.