City comparison
Chapel Hill, NC is about 175 miles (250 km) from Portsmouth, VA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 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 Chapel Hill, NC to Portsmouth, VA takes about 20 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Portsmouth has a population of 97,384, vs 58,919 in Chapel Hill — about 1.7× larger by population. By land area, Portsmouth covers about 33 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 | Portsmouth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $1,225/mo | 15.8% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Median home value | $537,100 | $213,300 | 151.8% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Median household income | $85,940 | $57,154 | 50.4% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.9 | ≈ equal (Portsmouth slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 89.8 | 90.0 | ≈ equal (Portsmouth slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 98.8 | ≈ equal (Portsmouth slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 97.9 | 98.3 | ≈ equal (Portsmouth 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 Chapel Hill, you'd need $99,918 in Portsmouth to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chapel Hill and Portsmouth have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need about $79,935 in Portsmouth to keep the same standard of living.