City comparison
Phoenix, AZ is about 475 miles (800 km) from Sandy, 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 Sandy, UT takes about 58 min, covering roughly 475 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 95,635 in Sandy — about 16.8× larger by population. By land area, Phoenix covers about 520 sq mi vs 24 sq mi for Sandy.
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 | Sandy | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322/mo | $1,640/mo | 24.1% higher in Sandy |
| Median home value | $340,200 | $492,300 | 44.7% higher in Sandy |
| Median household income | $72,092 | $108,165 | 50.0% higher in Sandy |
| Groceries index | 95.8 | 97.1 | 1.3% higher in Sandy |
| 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 $99,374 in Sandy to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sandy, UT is about 0.6% cheaper overall than Phoenix, AZ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in Sandy than in Phoenix. If you earn $80,000 in Phoenix, you'd need about $79,499 in Sandy to keep the same standard of living.