Distance Calculator Between Cities
Type two cities, addresses or coordinates, or click the map, to see how far apart they are: the straight-line distance as the crow flies, the driving distance and time by road, the compass bearing and an estimated flight time. Add up to ten stops to total a road trip, switch between miles, kilometers and nautical miles, and open the route in OpenStreetMap.
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How to use it
- Type where you start and where you're going, or click two points on the map.
- Press Enter or Calculate distance.
- Read the straight-line distance, the driving distance and time, and the flight time.
- Add stops for a road trip, switch units, or open the route in OpenStreetMap.
Why use this tool
As the crow flies
Geodesic distance on the Earth's ellipsoid, accurate to a few meters even across oceans.
Driving distance and time
Real road routes from OpenStreetMap data, with the route drawn on the map.
Road trip with stops
Up to ten stops with a distance and drive time for every leg and the total.
Flight time and bearing
An estimated flight time, the compass direction and the halfway point.
Any way to enter a place
City, address, landmark, decimal coordinates, degrees-minutes-seconds, your location or a click.
Miles, km or nautical miles
Switch units at any time; all results update.
Straight-line distance vs driving distance
The straight-line distance, also called the great-circle or as-the-crow-flies distance, is the shortest path over the Earth's surface. Airlines fly close to it, so it's the right figure for flight distance and frequent-flyer miles. Roads wind around terrain, water and property lines, so driving distance is usually 20 to 30% longer; in mountains or along coasts it can be 50% longer or more.
New York to Los Angeles is about 2,450 miles in a straight line but roughly 2,790 miles by the fastest interstate route, about two full days of driving.
| Trip | Straight line | By road (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| New York – Los Angeles | 2,450 mi | 2,790 mi |
| Chicago – Houston | 940 mi | 1,080 mi |
| San Francisco – Seattle | 680 mi | 810 mi |
| Boston – Washington, DC | 395 mi | 440 mi |
| Dallas – Denver | 660 mi | 790 mi |
How the distance is calculated
Many calculators treat the Earth as a perfect sphere (the haversine formula), which can be off by up to 0.5%. This one uses Vincenty's formula on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the same model GPS uses, which is accurate to well under a meter. Driving routes come from the OSRM routing engine running on OpenStreetMap road data.
Estimating flight time
Jets cruise at about 500 mph (800 km/h). Add about 30 minutes for taxiing, climbing and descending. A 2,450-mile flight therefore takes around 5 hours 25 minutes; real schedules vary with jet streams, so westbound flights across the US often take 30 to 60 minutes longer than eastbound ones.
Frequently asked questions
How far is it between two cities?
Type both cities and press Enter. You get the straight-line distance in miles and kilometers and, if you leave the box ticked, the driving distance and time by road.
What does as the crow flies mean?
The shortest distance over the Earth's surface between two points, ignoring roads. It is always shorter than or equal to the driving distance.
How accurate is the driving distance?
It follows the fastest route on OpenStreetMap roads, which usually matches navigation apps within a few percent. Traffic, closures and ferries are not included.
Can I calculate a route with several stops?
Yes. Click Add a stop for up to ten places; each leg and the total are shown.
Can I use GPS coordinates?
Yes: decimal degrees such as 40.7128, -74.0060 or degrees, minutes and seconds such as 40°42'46"N 74°0'22"W.
What is a nautical mile?
1,852 meters, or about 1.15 statute miles. Ships and aircraft use it because one nautical mile is about one minute of latitude.
How to measure the distance between two places
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