City comparison
Phoenix, AZ is about 500 miles (800 km) from Salt Lake City, UT in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 600 miles, or about 10 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 Phoenix, AZ to Salt Lake City, UT takes about 1 h, covering roughly 500 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 201,269 in Salt Lake City — about 8.0× larger by population. By land area, Phoenix covers about 520 sq mi vs 110 sq mi for Salt Lake City.
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 | Phoenix | Salt Lake City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322/mo | $1,254/mo | 5.4% higher in Phoenix |
| Median home value | $340,200 | $458,600 | 34.8% higher in Salt Lake City |
| Median household income | $72,092 | $72,357 | 0.4% higher in Salt Lake City |
| Groceries index | 95.8 | 97.1 | 1.3% higher in Salt Lake City |
| Utilities index | 96.2 | 83.2 | 15.7% higher in Phoenix |
| Transportation index | 104.1 | 99.5 | 4.6% higher in Phoenix |
| Healthcare index | 104.0 | 99.4 | 4.6% 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 Phoenix, you'd need $98,315 in Salt Lake City to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Salt Lake City, UT is about 1.7% cheaper overall than Phoenix, AZ, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Phoenix, you'd need about $78,652 in Salt Lake City to keep the same standard of living.