City comparison
Burke, VA is about 150 miles (225 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 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 Burke, VA to Philadelphia, PA takes about 17 min, covering roughly 150 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.
Philadelphia has a population of 1,593,208, vs 44,228 in Burke — about 36.0× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 8.6 sq mi for Burke.
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 | Burke | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,745/mo | $1,250/mo | 119.6% higher in Burke |
| Median home value | $647,800 | $215,500 | 200.6% higher in Burke |
| Median household income | $172,432 | $57,537 | 199.7% higher in Burke |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 97.0 | 7.5% higher in Burke |
| Utilities index | 105.6 | 112.3 | 6.3% higher in Philadelphia |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 101.7 | ≈ equal (Burke slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 101.6 | 102.7 | 1.0% higher in Philadelphia |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Burke, you'd need $84,347 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 15.7% cheaper overall than Burke, VA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 40% higher in Burke than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Burke, you'd need about $67,477 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.