City comparison
Chapel Hill, NC is about 10 miles (10 km) from Durham, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 10 miles, or about 11 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 Chapel Hill, NC to Durham, NC takes about 1 min, covering roughly 10 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.
Durham has a population of 284,094, vs 58,919 in Chapel Hill — about 4.8× larger by population. By land area, Durham covers about 120 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Chapel Hill.
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 | Chapel Hill | Durham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $1,296/mo | 9.5% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Median home value | $537,100 | $316,600 | 69.6% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Median household income | $85,940 | $74,710 | 15.0% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.8 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 89.8 | 89.8 | ≈ equal |
| 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 Chapel Hill, you'd need $99,623 in Durham to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chapel Hill and Durham have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need about $79,698 in Durham to keep the same standard of living.