City comparison
Charlottesville, VA is about 650 miles (1,000 km) from Daytona Beach, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 800 miles, or about 13 hours 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 Charlottesville, VA to Daytona Beach, FL takes about 1 h 16 min, covering roughly 650 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.
Daytona Beach has a population of 73,329, vs 46,289 in Charlottesville — about 1.6× larger by population. By land area, Daytona Beach covers about 67 sq mi vs 10 sq mi for Charlottesville.
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 | Charlottesville | Daytona Beach | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,357/mo | $1,186/mo | 14.4% higher in Charlottesville |
| Median home value | $398,400 | $211,800 | 88.1% higher in Charlottesville |
| Median household income | $67,177 | $47,608 | 41.1% higher in Charlottesville |
| Groceries index | 96.9 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Charlottesville slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 89.5 | 88.2 | 1.5% higher in Charlottesville |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 99.0 | ≈ equal (Daytona Beach slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 98.3 | 98.5 | ≈ equal (Daytona Beach 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 Charlottesville, you'd need $99,871 in Daytona Beach to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Charlottesville and Daytona Beach have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Charlottesville, you'd need about $79,897 in Daytona Beach to keep the same standard of living.