City comparison
Clifton, NJ is about 80 miles (125 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 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 Clifton, NJ to Philadelphia, PA takes about 9 min, covering roughly 80 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.
Philadelphia has a population of 1,593,208, vs 89,451 in Clifton — about 17.8× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 11 sq mi for Clifton.
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 | Clifton | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,633/mo | $1,250/mo | 30.6% higher in Clifton |
| Median home value | $428,000 | $215,500 | 98.6% higher in Clifton |
| Median household income | $94,179 | $57,537 | 63.7% higher in Clifton |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 97.0 | 12.8% higher in Clifton |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 112.3 | 10.9% higher in Clifton |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 101.7 | 3.2% higher in Clifton |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 102.7 | 3.0% higher in Clifton |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Clifton, you'd need $84,838 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 15.2% cheaper overall than Clifton, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 31% higher in Clifton than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Clifton, you'd need about $67,871 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.