Origin
Sun City, AZ
Late night in Sun City on Friday
Local time
1:34 AM
MST
Current temp
92°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
43m
Distance
38.9 mi
63 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 40m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 51m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sun City, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Mesa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ covers 38.9 miles and takes about 43m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Grand Avenue, AZ 101, Agua Fria Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.75 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 43m. Total distance: 38.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 43m drive with frequent turns across 38.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Grand Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ is easy. At 43m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Avenue | — | — |
| AZ 101 | — | — |
| Agua Fria Freeway | — | — |
| I 10 East | — | — |
| Papago Freeway | — | — |
| Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel | — | — |
| AZ 51 North | — | — |
| Red Mountain Freeway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Grand Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sun City, AZ and Mesa, AZ.
1
Start on Grand Avenue
23 ft
·
3 sec
·
Grand Avenue
2
Continue on Grand Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
3
Take the exit right toward AZ 101 Loop South
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
·
AZ 101 Loop South
4
Merge slight left onto Agua Fria Freeway
8.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Agua Fria Freeway
5
Keep slight left to continue on I 10 East: Phoenix
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
I 10 East: Phoenix
6
Merge slight left onto Papago Freeway
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Papago Freeway
7
Continue on Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
0.5 mi
·
35 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
8
Continue on Papago Freeway
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
9
Take the exit slight right toward AZ 51 North, AZ 202 Loop East
0.1 mi
·
7 sec
·
AZ 51 North, AZ 202 Loop East
10
Keep slight right to continue on Red Mountain Freeway
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Red Mountain Freeway
11
Keep slight left to continue on Red Mountain Freeway
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
12
Take the exit slight right toward Alma School Road
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
·
Alma School Road
13
Turn right onto North Alma School Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Alma School Road
14
Turn left onto West University Drive
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West University Drive
15
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.75 one way
$15.50 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $8.20 | $16.40 |
| premium | $5.59 | $8.56 | $17.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.59 | $17.18 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.7 | 0 | $4.08 | $1.87 |
| Efficient EV | 9.7 | 0 | $3.40 | $1.56 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.6 | 0 | $5.45 | $2.49 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Mesa, AZ
Late night in Mesa on Friday
Local time
1:34 AM
MST
Current temp
93°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
43m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ covers 38.9 miles and takes about 43m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Grand Avenue, AZ 101, Agua Fria Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 19.4 miles from Sun City, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.75 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
The drive from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ is easy. At 43m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Sun City, AZ to Mesa, AZ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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