City comparison
Champaign, IL is about 225 miles (350 km) from Dayton, OH in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 275 miles, or about 4 h 30 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 Champaign, IL to Dayton, OH takes about 26 min, covering roughly 225 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.
Dayton has a population of 137,305, vs 88,628 in Champaign — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Dayton covers about 56 sq mi vs 23 sq mi for Champaign.
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 | Champaign | Dayton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,056/mo | $830/mo | 27.2% higher in Champaign |
| Median home value | $191,200 | $86,200 | 121.8% higher in Champaign |
| Median household income | $58,273 | $41,443 | 40.6% higher in Champaign |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 93.9 | ≈ equal (Champaign slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 90.6 | 95.1 | 4.9% higher in Dayton |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 98.8 | 0.6% higher in Champaign |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 99.0 | 0.6% higher in Champaign |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Champaign, you'd need $99,942 in Dayton to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Champaign and Dayton have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Champaign, you'd need about $79,954 in Dayton to keep the same standard of living.