City comparison
Arlington, VA is about 200 miles (325 km) from New York, NY 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 Arlington, VA to New York, NY 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.
New York has a population of 8,622,467, vs 235,845 in Arlington — about 36.6× larger by population. By land area, New York covers about 300 sq mi vs 26 sq mi for Arlington.
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 | Arlington | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,227/mo | $1,714/mo | 29.9% higher in Arlington |
| Median home value | $833,300 | $732,100 | 13.8% higher in Arlington |
| Median household income | $137,387 | $76,607 | 79.3% higher in Arlington |
| Groceries index | 104.6 | 109.6 | 4.8% higher in New York |
| Utilities index | 105.0 | 128.8 | 22.7% higher in New York |
| Transportation index | 101.2 | 105.4 | 4.1% higher in New York |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 105.3 | 3.8% higher in New York |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Arlington, you'd need $101,433 in New York to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Arlington, VA is about 1.4% cheaper overall than New York, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Arlington than in New York. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington, you'd need about $81,147 in New York to keep the same standard of living.