Introduction
The Distance Between Cities Calculator tells you how far apart two places are. Type a city, address, or landmark in the From box and another one in the To box. Then press Calculate Distance. You get an answer in miles, kilometers, and nautical miles at the same time.
You see two kinds of distance. The first is the straight-line distance, also called "as the crow flies." That is the path a plane would take over the curve of the Earth. The second is the driving distance, which follows real roads. Roads bend and curve, so this number is almost always bigger.
The tool also shows you more than just numbers. You get the compass direction between the two spots, the midpoint of the trip, an estimated drive time, and an estimated flight time. A map draws both paths so you can see the route. You can pick from up to three driving routes and read turn-by-turn directions for each one.
This calculator is useful for planning a road trip, checking a flight, comparing two cities before a move, or finding a fair meeting spot with a friend. A step-by-step section shows the math behind each answer, so you can follow how the distance was found.
How to use our Distance Between Cities Calculator
Enter two places and the calculator shows the straight-line (air) distance, the driving distance, the travel direction, the midpoint, and the estimated drive and flight times in miles, kilometers and nautical miles.
From: Type your starting city, address or landmark, like "New York, NY, USA". Pick a match from the suggestion list so the calculator uses the right spot on the map.
To: Type the city, address or place you are going to. Add a state, region or country if the name is common, so you get the correct location. If you only know postal codes, try the ZIP Code Distance Calculator, and if you already have coordinates, use the Lat Long Distance Calculator.
Primary unit (directions & chart): Choose miles, kilometers or nautical miles. This sets the unit used in the turn-by-turn directions and the bar chart. The main totals always show all three units, and our Unit Converter Calculator handles any other units you need.
Calculate Distance: Press this button to get your results, route options, map and step-by-step math.
Swap Locations: Press this to flip the From and To cities and see the trip in reverse.
Clear: Press this to empty both fields and start a new distance search.
Distance Between Cities
The distance between two cities can mean two different things. The straight-line distance is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, like a bird or plane would fly. The driving distance is how far you really travel by road, following highways and streets. Driving distance is almost always longer, because roads curve, go around mountains, lakes, and cities. For a broader trip view, see the Travel Distance Calculator or the Distance Between Two Locations Calculator.
Straight-Line (As the Crow Flies) Distance
Earth is round, so you cannot just draw a flat line between two cities. The shortest path on a ball is called a great circle. Math called the haversine formula uses the latitude and longitude of both cities to find this length. This is the number airlines care about, and it is why long flights look curved on a flat map. Frequent flyers can also check award mileage with the Air Miles Calculator. For flat-plane geometry between two points on a graph, use the Distance Calculator.
Driving Distance and Detour Ratio
Road distance is measured by adding up every road segment along the route. Most trips are about 20% to 30% longer by road than by air. If you divide the road distance by the straight-line distance, you get the detour ratio. A ratio near 1.1 means the roads are pretty direct. A ratio of 1.5 or more means big detours, like driving around a bay or a mountain range. Once you know the road miles, estimate spending with the Fuel Cost Calculator, the Toll Calculator, or the full Trip Cost Calculator. Business drivers can log the trip in the Mileage Reimbursement Calculator.
Bearing and Midpoint
Bearing is the compass direction you head at the start of the trip, from 0° (north) to 360°. On long trips the bearing slowly changes, because great-circle paths bend. The midpoint is the halfway spot along that path. It is handy for planning a meeting place, a rest stop, or a layover, and the Midpoint Calculator shows how that halfway point is worked out.
Miles, Kilometers, and Nautical Miles
The United States and the United Kingdom use miles. Most other countries use kilometers. One mile equals about 1.609 kilometers. Pilots and sailors use nautical miles, which equal about 1.15 miles or 1.852 kilometers. One nautical mile is one minute of latitude, which makes map work easier at sea and in the air. The Metric Conversion Calculator is handy if you need other length units.
Travel Time Estimates
Flight time uses an average cruise speed near 575 mph (925 km/h). Real flights take longer because of taxiing, climbing, waiting, and wind. Driving time uses average road speed with normal traffic flow. Rush hour, road work, weather, and rest stops all add time, so treat these numbers as a starting guess, not a promise. To test your own speed and time figures, try the Speed Distance Time Calculator, the Average Speed Calculator, or the ETA Calculator. Crossing several regions? The Time Zone Calculator helps you land on the right local clock time.
When There Is No Road Route
Some city pairs are split by an ocean or a sea, like New York and London. For those trips only the air distance, bearing, and midpoint make sense. You would need a flight or a ferry, not a car. For short in-city hops where driving is not the plan, the Taxi Fare Calculator, the Uber Cost Calculator, and the Walking Distance Calculator are better fits.