City comparison
Dothan, AL is about 600 miles (950 km) from Fort Smith, AR in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 750 miles, or about 12 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 Dothan, AL to Fort Smith, AR takes about 1 h 11 min, covering roughly 600 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 70,699 in Dothan — about 1.3× larger by population. By land area, Dothan covers about 90 sq mi vs 64 sq mi for Fort Smith.
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 | Dothan | Fort Smith | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $871/mo | $798/mo | 9.1% higher in Dothan |
| Median home value | $175,900 | $155,600 | 13.0% higher in Dothan |
| Median household income | $53,704 | $50,799 | 5.7% higher in Dothan |
| Groceries index | 96.6 | 94.1 | 2.7% higher in Dothan |
| Utilities index | 85.3 | 75.7 | 12.6% higher in Dothan |
| Transportation index | 97.0 | 95.8 | 1.3% higher in Dothan |
| Healthcare index | 96.5 | 95.3 | 1.3% higher in Dothan |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Dothan, you'd need $100,835 in Fort Smith to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Dothan, AL is about 0.8% cheaper overall than Fort Smith, AR, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 11% higher in Fort Smith than in Dothan. If you earn $80,000 in Dothan, you'd need about $80,668 in Fort Smith to keep the same standard of living.