City comparison
Cambridge, MA is about 400 miles (650 km) from McLean, VA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 500 miles, or about 8 h 15 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 Cambridge, MA to McLean, VA takes about 48 min, covering roughly 400 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.
Cambridge has a population of 117,962, vs 49,587 in McLean — about 2.4× larger by population. By land area, McLean covers about 25 sq mi vs 6.4 sq mi for Cambridge.
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 | Cambridge | McLean | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,628/mo | $3,319/mo | 26.3% higher in McLean |
| Median home value | $997,600 | $1,257,900 | 26.1% higher in McLean |
| Median household income | $121,539 | $250,001 | 105.7% higher in McLean |
| Groceries index | 100.1 | 104.3 | 4.2% higher in McLean |
| Utilities index | 147.4 | 105.6 | 39.5% higher in Cambridge |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 102.2 | ≈ equal (Cambridge slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 106.4 | 101.6 | 4.7% higher in Cambridge |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Cambridge, you'd need $99,657 in McLean to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cambridge and McLean have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 5% higher in McLean than in Cambridge. If you earn $80,000 in Cambridge, you'd need about $79,725 in McLean to keep the same standard of living.