City comparison
Cranston, RI is about 150 miles (225 km) from Portland, ME in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 h 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 Cranston, RI to Portland, ME takes about 17 min, covering roughly 150 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.
Cranston has a population of 82,691, vs 68,280 in Portland — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, Cranston covers about 28 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Portland.
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 | Cranston | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,270/mo | $1,377/mo | 8.4% higher in Portland |
| Median home value | $326,000 | $411,600 | 26.3% higher in Portland |
| Median household income | $83,123 | $71,498 | 16.3% higher in Cranston |
| Groceries index | 97.5 | 97.5 | ≈ equal (Portland slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 131.4 | 9.8% higher in Cranston |
| Transportation index | 101.7 | 102.5 | 0.8% higher in Portland |
| Healthcare index | 102.5 | 103.3 | 0.8% higher in Portland |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Cranston, you'd need $99,943 in Portland to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cranston and Portland have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Cranston, you'd need about $79,955 in Portland to keep the same standard of living.