City comparison
Flint, MI is about 325 miles (500 km) from Normal, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 400 miles, or about 6 h 45 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 Flint, MI to Normal, IL takes about 39 min, covering roughly 325 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.
Flint has a population of 81,863, vs 52,920 in Normal — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Flint covers about 33 sq mi vs 19 sq mi for Normal.
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 | Flint | Normal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $825/mo | $924/mo | 12.0% higher in Normal |
| Median home value | $43,300 | $194,400 | 349.0% higher in Normal |
| Median household income | $35,451 | $63,965 | 80.4% higher in Normal |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 93.9 | ≈ equal (Flint slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 96.6 | 89.8 | 7.6% higher in Flint |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 99.3 | ≈ equal (Normal slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 99.5 | ≈ equal (Normal 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 Flint, you'd need $99,943 in Normal to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Flint and Normal have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Flint, you'd need about $79,954 in Normal to keep the same standard of living.