City comparison
Akron, OH is about 200 miles (325 km) from Cincinnati, OH in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Akron, OH to Cincinnati, OH takes about 25 min, covering roughly 200 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Akron, OH is on Eastern Time and Cincinnati, OH is on Central Time — a 1-hour difference. When it's noon in Akron, it's 11 a.m. in Cincinnati, which puts Akron 1 hours ahead.
Standard-time offsets. Daylight saving applies in both cities for most of the year (exceptions: Hawaii and most of Arizona), and the gap between the two stays the same.
Cincinnati has a population of 308,870, vs 190,273 in Akron — about 1.6× larger by population. By land area, Cincinnati covers about 78 sq mi vs 62 sq mi for Akron.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Akron | Cincinnati | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $887/mo | $893/mo | 0.7% higher in Cincinnati |
| Median home value | $99,700 | $192,000 | 92.6% higher in Cincinnati |
| Median household income | $46,596 | $49,191 | 5.6% higher in Cincinnati |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (Cincinnati slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 96.0 | 91.0 | 5.5% higher in Akron |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 98.8 | ≈ equal (Cincinnati slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 99.0 | 99.0 | ≈ equal (Cincinnati slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Akron, you'd need $104,288 in Cincinnati to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Akron, OH is about 4.1% cheaper overall than Cincinnati, OH, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 13% higher in Cincinnati than in Akron. If you earn $80,000 in Akron, you'd need about $83,430 in Cincinnati to keep the same standard of living.