City comparison
Colorado Springs, CO is about 550 miles (900 km) from Phoenix, AZ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 700 miles, or about 11 hours 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 Colorado Springs, CO to Phoenix, AZ takes about 1 h 6 min, covering roughly 550 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.
Phoenix has a population of 1,609,456, vs 479,612 in Colorado Springs — about 3.4× larger by population. By land area, Phoenix covers about 520 sq mi vs 200 sq mi for Colorado Springs.
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 | Colorado Springs | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,464/mo | $1,322/mo | 10.7% higher in Colorado Springs |
| Median home value | $383,000 | $340,200 | 12.6% higher in Colorado Springs |
| Median household income | $79,026 | $72,092 | 9.6% higher in Colorado Springs |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 95.8 | 1.0% higher in Colorado Springs |
| Utilities index | 87.0 | 96.2 | 10.6% higher in Phoenix |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 104.1 | 3.8% higher in Phoenix |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 104.0 | 3.8% higher in Phoenix |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Colorado Springs, you'd need $103,232 in Phoenix to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Colorado Springs, CO is about 3.1% cheaper overall than Phoenix, AZ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in Phoenix than in Colorado Springs. If you earn $80,000 in Colorado Springs, you'd need about $82,586 in Phoenix to keep the same standard of living.