City comparison
Burlington, NC is about 100 miles (150 km) from Charlotte, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 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 Burlington, NC to Charlotte, NC takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Charlotte has a population of 875,045, vs 56,951 in Burlington — about 15.4× larger by population. By land area, Charlotte covers about 310 sq mi vs 31 sq mi for Burlington.
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 | Burlington | Charlotte | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $947/mo | $1,399/mo | 47.7% higher in Charlotte |
| Median home value | $167,000 | $312,800 | 87.3% higher in Charlotte |
| Median household income | $52,963 | $74,070 | 39.9% higher in Charlotte |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.8 | ≈ equal (Burlington slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 89.7 | 89.7 | ≈ equal (Burlington slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 98.4 | ≈ equal (Charlotte slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 97.9 | 97.9 | ≈ equal (Charlotte slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Burlington, you'd need $110,124 in Charlotte to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Burlington, NC is about 9.2% cheaper overall than Charlotte, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% higher in Charlotte than in Burlington. If you earn $80,000 in Burlington, you'd need about $88,099 in Charlotte to keep the same standard of living.