City comparison
Great Falls, MT is about 1,100 miles (1,700 km) from Tucson, AZ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,300 miles, or about 22 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 Tucson, AZ takes about 2 h 7 min, covering roughly 1,100 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.
Tucson has a population of 541,033, vs 60,373 in Great Falls — about 9.0× larger by population. By land area, Tucson covers about 240 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 | Tucson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $828/mo | $991/mo | 19.7% higher in Tucson |
| Median home value | $223,700 | $218,200 | 2.5% higher in Great Falls |
| Median household income | $58,272 | $52,049 | 12.0% higher in Great Falls |
| Groceries index | 96.7 | 96.9 | ≈ equal (Tucson slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 77.7 | 92.7 | 19.3% higher in Tucson |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 100.3 | 1.0% higher in Tucson |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 100.2 | 1.0% higher in Tucson |
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 $100,148 in Tucson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Great Falls and Tucson have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Great Falls than in Tucson. If you earn $80,000 in Great Falls, you'd need about $80,118 in Tucson to keep the same standard of living.