City comparison
Dayton, OH is about 500 miles (800 km) from Eau Claire, WI in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 650 miles, or about 11 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 Dayton, OH to Eau Claire, WI takes about 1 h 1 min, covering roughly 500 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.
Dayton has a population of 137,305, vs 69,098 in Eau Claire — about 2.0× larger by population. By land area, Dayton covers about 56 sq mi vs 34 sq mi for Eau Claire.
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 | Dayton | Eau Claire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $830/mo | $929/mo | 11.9% higher in Eau Claire |
| Median home value | $86,200 | $209,200 | 142.7% higher in Eau Claire |
| Median household income | $41,443 | $63,882 | 54.1% higher in Eau Claire |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (Eau Claire slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 95.1 | 91.0 | 4.5% higher in Dayton |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 99.2 | ≈ equal (Eau Claire slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 99.0 | 99.4 | ≈ equal (Eau Claire 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 Dayton, you'd need $100,174 in Eau Claire to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Dayton and Eau Claire have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Dayton, you'd need about $80,139 in Eau Claire to keep the same standard of living.