City comparison
Fayetteville, AR is about 550 miles (850 km) from Sioux Falls, SD in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 650 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 Fayetteville, AR to Sioux Falls, SD takes about 1 h 4 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.
Sioux Falls has a population of 193,401, vs 95,022 in Fayetteville — about 2.0× larger by population. By land area, Sioux Falls covers about 84 sq mi vs 55 sq mi for Fayetteville.
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 | Fayetteville | Sioux Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $944/mo | $965/mo | 2.2% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Median home value | $291,300 | $250,000 | 16.5% higher in Fayetteville |
| Median household income | $56,881 | $71,785 | 26.2% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 95.5 | 1.6% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Utilities index | 76.9 | 81.7 | 6.3% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 92.3 | 3.7% higher in Fayetteville |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 92.5 | 2.9% higher in Fayetteville |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Fayetteville, you'd need $100,000 in Sioux Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fayetteville and Sioux Falls have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Fayetteville, you'd need about $80,000 in Sioux Falls to keep the same standard of living.