City comparison
Brookline, MA is about 175 miles (300 km) from New York, NY in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 45 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 Brookline, MA to New York, NY takes about 22 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.
New York has a population of 8,622,467, vs 62,698 in Brookline — about 137.5× larger by population. By land area, New York covers about 300 sq mi vs 6.8 sq mi for Brookline.
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 | Brookline | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,702/mo | $1,714/mo | 57.6% higher in Brookline |
| Median home value | $1,181,200 | $732,100 | 61.3% higher in Brookline |
| Median household income | $130,600 | $76,607 | 70.5% higher in Brookline |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 109.6 | 9.9% higher in New York |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 128.8 | 12.0% higher in Brookline |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 105.4 | 2.4% higher in New York |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 105.3 | 1.6% 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 Brookline, you'd need $98,491 in New York to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New York, NY is about 1.5% cheaper overall than Brookline, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% higher in Brookline than in New York. If you earn $80,000 in Brookline, you'd need about $78,793 in New York to keep the same standard of living.