City comparison
Great Falls, MT is about 950 miles (1,600 km) from Phoenix, AZ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 20 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Great Falls, MT to Phoenix, AZ takes about 1 h 56 min, covering roughly 950 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 60,373 in Great Falls — about 26.7× larger by population. By land area, Phoenix covers about 520 sq mi vs 23 sq mi for Great Falls.
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 | Great Falls | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $828/mo | $1,322/mo | 59.7% higher in Phoenix |
| Median home value | $223,700 | $340,200 | 52.1% higher in Phoenix |
| Median household income | $58,272 | $72,092 | 23.7% higher in Phoenix |
| Groceries index | 96.7 | 95.8 | 0.9% higher in Great Falls |
| Utilities index | 77.7 | 96.2 | 23.7% higher in Phoenix |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 104.1 | 4.9% higher in Phoenix |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 104.0 | 4.9% 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 Great Falls, you'd need $114,581 in Phoenix to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Great Falls, MT is about 12.7% cheaper overall than Phoenix, AZ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% higher in Phoenix than in Great Falls. If you earn $80,000 in Great Falls, you'd need about $91,665 in Phoenix to keep the same standard of living.