City comparison
Bethesda, MD is about 200 miles (325 km) from Newark, NJ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h 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 Bethesda, MD to Newark, NJ takes about 24 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.
Newark has a population of 307,355, vs 66,316 in Bethesda — about 4.6× larger by population. By land area, Newark covers about 24 sq mi vs 13 sq mi for Bethesda.
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 | Bethesda | Newark | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,312/mo | $1,273/mo | 81.6% higher in Bethesda |
| Median home value | $1,088,000 | $312,300 | 248.4% higher in Bethesda |
| Median household income | $185,546 | $46,460 | 299.4% higher in Bethesda |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 109.6 | 5.1% higher in Newark |
| Utilities index | 105.6 | 128.8 | 22.0% higher in Newark |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 105.4 | 3.2% higher in Newark |
| Healthcare index | 101.6 | 105.3 | 3.6% higher in Newark |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Bethesda, you'd need $99,968 in Newark to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Bethesda and Newark have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 7% higher in Bethesda than in Newark. If you earn $80,000 in Bethesda, you'd need about $79,974 in Newark to keep the same standard of living.