City comparison
Burlington, NC is about 40 miles (70 km) from Winston-Salem, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 60 miles, or about 55 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 Burlington, NC to Winston-Salem, NC takes about 5 min, covering roughly 40 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.
Winston-Salem has a population of 249,571, vs 56,951 in Burlington — about 4.4× larger by population. By land area, Winston-Salem covers about 135 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 | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $947/mo | $956/mo | 1.0% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Median home value | $167,000 | $187,400 | 12.2% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Median household income | $52,963 | $54,416 | 2.7% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.8 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 89.7 | 89.1 | 0.7% higher in Burlington |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 98.4 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 97.9 | 97.9 | ≈ equal |
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 $97,458 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 2.5% cheaper overall than Burlington, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 7% higher in Burlington than in Winston-Salem. If you earn $80,000 in Burlington, you'd need about $77,966 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.