City comparison
Durham, NC is about 350 miles (550 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 425 miles, or about 7 h 15 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 Durham, NC to Philadelphia, PA takes about 41 min, covering roughly 350 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 284,094 in Durham — about 5.6× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 120 sq mi for Durham.
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 | Durham | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,296/mo | $1,250/mo | 3.7% higher in Durham |
| Median home value | $316,600 | $215,500 | 46.9% higher in Durham |
| Median household income | $74,710 | $57,537 | 29.8% higher in Durham |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 97.0 | ≈ equal (Philadelphia slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 89.8 | 112.3 | 25.1% higher in Philadelphia |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 101.7 | 3.4% higher in Philadelphia |
| Healthcare index | 97.9 | 102.7 | 4.9% higher in Philadelphia |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Durham, you'd need $108,806 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Durham, NC is about 8.1% cheaper overall than Philadelphia, PA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 13% higher in Philadelphia than in Durham. If you earn $80,000 in Durham, you'd need about $87,045 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.