City comparison
Conway, AR is about 100 miles (175 km) from Fort Smith, AR in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h 15 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 Conway, AR to Fort Smith, AR takes about 13 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Fort Smith has a population of 89,315, vs 65,159 in Conway — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, Fort Smith covers about 64 sq mi vs 47 sq mi for Conway.
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 | Conway | Fort Smith | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $942/mo | $798/mo | 18.0% higher in Conway |
| Median home value | $223,900 | $155,600 | 43.9% higher in Conway |
| Median household income | $54,036 | $50,799 | 6.4% higher in Conway |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.1 | ≈ equal (Fort Smith slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 76.5 | 75.7 | 1.0% higher in Conway |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 95.8 | ≈ equal (Fort Smith slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 95.3 | ≈ equal (Fort Smith slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Conway, you'd need $92,454 in Fort Smith to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fort Smith, AR is about 7.5% cheaper overall than Conway, AR, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% higher in Conway than in Fort Smith. If you earn $80,000 in Conway, you'd need about $73,964 in Fort Smith to keep the same standard of living.