How Far Is It From City to City? (Exact Distance + Travel Time)

Knowing the exact distance changes how you plan — flights, budgets, time off work. Don't guess.

You searched "how far is it from City A to City B" for a reason. Maybe you're booking a flight and need to know if it's a 2-hour hop or an 8-hour marathon. Maybe you're planning a road trip and wondering if you can make it in one day. Or maybe someone just told you "it's not that far" and you want to prove them wrong.

Whatever the reason — you need an exact number, not a vague guess.

⚡ Quick Answer

Use the SnapDistance calculator to get the exact straight-line distance between any two cities in seconds. Results include kilometers, miles, and estimated driving and flight times. No sign-up required.

Example: New York to London

One of the most searched distance queries on the internet. Here's the breakdown:

Straight-line distance: 5,570 km (3,461 miles)
Flight time: ~7 hours 30 minutes (eastbound)
Flight time westbound: ~8 hours 30 minutes (jet stream effect)
Time zone difference: 5 hours

That's the Atlantic Ocean between you and your destination. No road trip option here — unless you count a boat. See the full New York → London route page for more details.

Why Exact Distance Matters

People don't search for distance out of idle curiosity (well, sometimes). Most of the time, distance directly affects a decision:

Flight booking: Longer distance = higher fuel cost = higher ticket price
Road trip planning: Distance determines how many days you need, where to stop, and fuel budget
Shipping & logistics: Distance drives delivery time estimates and freight costs
Relocation decisions: "How far am I moving from family?"

In every case, the difference between 500 km and 5,000 km changes everything.

Straight-Line vs Driving Distance

When you see "5,570 km" for New York to London, that's the great-circle distance — the shortest path over the Earth's curved surface. This is what airplanes fly (roughly).

For road trips, actual driving distance is typically 20–40% longer than straight-line distance. Roads curve, highways take detours, mountains force you around.

Example: Los Angeles to San Francisco is 559 km straight-line, but approximately 615 km by the fastest highway (I-5). The scenic Pacific Coast Highway route? Over 750 km.

Our calculator shows both the straight-line distance and estimated driving time with a realistic 1.3× road factor. Learn more about driving vs straight-line distance.

How to Check Distance Instantly

Three steps. That's it:

Go to the SnapDistance calculator
Type your starting city in the "From" field
Type your destination in the "To" field

Distance appears instantly — in kilometers, miles, and nautical miles. Plus estimated flight time and driving time. No sign-up required.

Popular City-to-City Distances

These are the routes people search most. Quick reference:

For the complete list, see our most popular distance searches guide.

What Affects Travel Time (Not Just Distance)

Distance is only half the story. Two 1,000 km trips can take wildly different times:

Terrain: Mountains slow driving dramatically. The Alps, Rockies, or Andes can double travel time.
Infrastructure: A German Autobahn at 130 km/h vs a rural road at 50 km/h — same distance, very different time.
Borders: Crossing international borders adds time for customs, immigration, and potential delays.
Wind: Eastbound transatlantic flights are faster due to jet stream assistance.
Connections: A direct flight vs one with layovers can turn 3 hours into 10.

When to Use Straight-Line Distance

Straight-line (great-circle) distance is most useful for:

Estimating flight distances — planes fly close to the great-circle path
Quick comparisons — "Is Bangkok closer to Dubai or Tokyo?"
Geography — understanding how far apart places really are
Shipping estimates — international freight uses air distance for pricing

For actual road trips, always add 20–40% to the straight-line number, or use a dedicated driving directions tool alongside SnapDistance.

Try It Now

Stop wondering. Enter any two cities in the calculator and get the exact distance in seconds. Works for any location on Earth — cities, towns, landmarks, even coordinates.

Or explore distances from a specific city to every major destination worldwide.

FAQ

What formula does SnapDistance use?

The Haversine formula — the standard mathematical method for calculating great-circle distance on a sphere. Same method used by aviation and maritime navigation systems.

How accurate is the distance?

Within 0.5% for any two points on Earth. The Haversine formula models Earth as a sphere (radius 6,371 km), which is accurate enough for travel planning, flight estimation, and logistics.

Can I calculate distance between countries, not just cities?

Yes — enter any location. Our autocomplete suggests cities, towns, villages, landmarks, and geographic features. You can also browse distance pages by country.

Is my data stored?

No. All calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server. Read our privacy policy for details.