City comparison
Brandon, FL is about 175 miles (275 km) from Jacksonville, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 30 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 Brandon, FL to Jacksonville, FL takes about 20 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Jacksonville has a population of 950,203, vs 114,923 in Brandon — about 8.3× larger by population. By land area, Jacksonville covers about 745 sq mi vs 33 sq mi for Brandon.
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 | Brandon | Jacksonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,570/mo | $1,281/mo | 22.6% higher in Brandon |
| Median home value | $266,400 | $243,000 | 9.6% higher in Brandon |
| Median household income | $71,156 | $64,138 | 10.9% higher in Brandon |
| Groceries index | 95.8 | 96.5 | 0.7% higher in Jacksonville |
| Utilities index | 89.1 | 88.2 | 1.0% higher in Brandon |
| Transportation index | 97.8 | 99.0 | 1.2% higher in Jacksonville |
| Healthcare index | 97.3 | 98.5 | 1.2% higher in Jacksonville |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Brandon, you'd need $93,876 in Jacksonville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Jacksonville, FL is about 6.1% cheaper overall than Brandon, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 15% higher in Brandon than in Jacksonville. If you earn $80,000 in Brandon, you'd need about $75,101 in Jacksonville to keep the same standard of living.