Distance Calculator
Find the distance between two points — cities or addresses — in driving miles and as the crow flies, on one map.
Distance between two cities
Type one city into Point A and another into Point B — the map draws the line between them and shows both the straight-line and the driving distance at once, for any two cities worldwide (using OpenStreetMap data). To try it, enter your two cities above, or click the map to drop each point, and read the two figures in the results panel.
Straight-line (great-circle) distance for common routes — or type your own two places in the tool above to also get the driving distance and estimated drive time.
| Route | Straight-Line |
|---|---|
| New York to Los Angeles | 2,451 mi |
| New York to Chicago | 713 mi |
| Los Angeles to San Francisco | 347 mi |
| Miami to New York | 1,090 mi |
| Dallas to Houston | 225 mi |
| Seattle to Portland | 145 mi |
| Boston to Washington DC | 394 mi |
| Denver to Phoenix | 586 mi |
International great-circle distances and mile/km conversions are further down the page.
Mileage between two places
“Mileage” usually means the miles you would actually drive along the road network — that is the driving distance figure here, routed over real roads. It is the number you want for fuel, reimbursement, or trip planning. Set Point A and Point B and the mileage between the two places appears with the estimated drive time beside it.
Driving distance
Driving distance follows the roads, so it is always longer than a straight line — and much longer where water, mountains, or one-way streets force a detour. The tool routes the drive and shows the distance plus the estimated time. Once both points are set, the purple “by road” line on the map is the driving route.
As the crow flies distance (straight line)
“As the crow flies” is the straight-line, great-circle distance — also called aerial distance — between two points, the shortest possible distance, ignoring roads entirely. It is what you want for coverage radius, proximity, or a quick sense of how far apart two places really are. The blue dashed line on the map is the straight-line distance, shown in miles, kilometres, and nautical miles.
Air distance and flight distance between cities
Air distance is the same great-circle, straight-line distance — the minimum a plane could cover between two cities. A real flight path is usually a little longer because of departure and arrival routing and air-traffic control, so treat the straight-line figure as the floor, not the exact flight distance. Read the straight-line result above; it now also shows the distance in nautical (air) miles.
Nautical miles and DOT air miles
One nautical mile equals exactly 1.852 km, or 1.15078 statute miles, and an air mile is the same unit as a nautical mile. The straight-line result shows the distance in nautical miles, so you can read it as air miles directly. The DOT/FMCSA short-haul rule (49 CFR 395.1(e)(1)) is written in air miles: 150 air miles equals 172.6 statute miles from the work-reporting location. This tool is a distance reference only, not compliance advice.
How to Measure Distance on the Map
Set Point A
Type a place or click the map
Set Point B
Your destination
See Distances
Straight-line + road + drive time
Add Stops
Optional — Point C, D… up to 10
Just wondering how far a distance like 10 miles actually is — or how long it takes to drive or walk — rather than the gap between two points? Try Miles to Minutes instead.
5 Real-World Distance Measurement Examples
1. Road Trip Planning (US Route 66)
A family planning a road trip from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA uses the distance calculator to understand the journey scope.
Use case: Read the routed road distance and estimated drive time to budget fuel and plan overnight stops along the way.
2. Flight Distance & Frequent Flyer Miles (NYC to London)
A business traveler calculates New York (JFK) to London (LHR) to understand how many miles they'll earn on their frequent flyer account.
Use case: Airlines calculate award miles using great-circle distance, so the straight-line figure is the base distance before any airline-specific bonuses.
3. Home Buying: Commute Analysis (San Francisco Bay Area)
A couple house-hunting compares commute distance from two different suburbs to their office in San Francisco (Financial District).
| From Location | Straight-Line |
|---|---|
| Walnut Creek, CA | 18 mi |
| San Mateo, CA | 19 mi |
Insight: Two suburbs can sit at nearly the same straight-line distance yet have very different commutes — San Mateo has direct highway access (US-101), while Walnut Creek requires crossing the Bay Bridge. Set each as Point B to compare the routed road distance and drive time.
4. Trucking Exemption: 150 Air-Mile Radius (FMCSA)
A trucking company determines if drivers qualify for the DOT short-haul exemption (150 air-mile radius from dispatch location in Dallas, TX).
Regulatory note: The 150 air-mile radius uses straight-line air (nautical) miles, not road miles — 150 air miles equals 172.6 statute miles. Whether a driver actually qualifies for the short-haul exemption depends on other conditions too, so treat this as a distance reference only, not compliance advice.
5. Marathon Training Route Verification (Boston Marathon)
A runner training for the Boston Marathon creates a point-to-point training route from Hopkinton to Boston and verifies the distance.
Training insight: The actual course is longer than the straight line because of its winding path. Runners use this to plan pickup locations for support crews at specific mileage points.
When Each Measurement Matters
Straight-Line Distance Is Used For:
- Aviation and flight distance calculations
- Shipping regulations (FMCSA 150 air-mile exemption)
- Insurance zone calculations and rates
- Military and defense planning
- Quick approximate distance estimates
- Radio/wireless coverage radius planning
Road Distance Is Used For:
- Driving directions and navigation
- Delivery and logistics route planning
- Fuel cost and consumption calculations
- IRS mileage reimbursement (rate updated annually — see IRS.gov)
- Vehicle lease mileage limits
- Travel time and ETA estimation
Common Distance Reference Tables
International Flight Distances
| Route | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New York (JFK) to London (LHR) | 3,459 mi | Transatlantic route |
| Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT) | 5,451 mi | Trans-Pacific route |
| New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) | 3,628 mi | Europe gateway |
| Miami (MIA) to São Paulo (GRU) | 4,170 mi | South America connection |
| San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD) | 7,417 mi | Trans-Pacific route |
| London (LHR) to Dubai (DXB) | 3,414 mi | Middle East route |
Distance Conversion Quick Reference
How We Calculate: The Haversine Formula
Straight-line distances on Earth's curved surface are calculated using the Haversine formula, which accounts for the Earth's spherical shape:
a = sin²(Δlat/2) + cos(lat₁) × cos(lat₂) × sin²(Δlon/2) c = 2 × atan2(√a, √(1-a)) d = R × c Where: R = Earth's radius (3,959 miles / 6,371 km) lat₁, lat₂ = Latitude of points 1 and 2 (in radians) Δlat = Difference in latitude Δlon = Difference in longitude d = Great-circle distance
The spherical-Earth approximation introduces sub-percent error only at continental distances — irrelevant for typical use. For extremely precise geodetic calculations (surveying, GPS), more complex formulas like Vincenty's are used.
Why "Great Circle"?
A great circle is the largest circle that can be drawn on a sphere's surface. The shortest path between any two points on Earth follows a great circle arc. This is why flight paths on a flat map appear curved — they're actually following the shortest route on a sphere.