City comparison
Gaithersburg, MD is about 10 miles (20 km) from Silver Spring, MD in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 20 miles, or about 17 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 Gaithersburg, MD to Silver Spring, MD takes about 2 min, covering roughly 10 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.
Silver Spring has a population of 81,808, vs 69,016 in Gaithersburg — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, Gaithersburg covers about 10 sq mi vs 7.9 sq mi for Silver Spring.
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 | Gaithersburg | Silver Spring | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,925/mo | $1,826/mo | 5.4% higher in Gaithersburg |
| Median home value | $472,800 | $606,100 | 28.2% higher in Silver Spring |
| Median household income | $104,544 | $95,213 | 9.8% higher in Gaithersburg |
| Groceries index | 103.8 | 104.3 | 0.5% higher in Silver Spring |
| Utilities index | 106.4 | 105.6 | 0.7% higher in Gaithersburg |
| Transportation index | 102.0 | 102.2 | ≈ equal (Silver Spring slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 101.6 | ≈ equal (Silver Spring 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 Gaithersburg, you'd need $102,240 in Silver Spring to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Gaithersburg, MD is about 2.2% cheaper overall than Silver Spring, MD, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Silver Spring than in Gaithersburg. If you earn $80,000 in Gaithersburg, you'd need about $81,792 in Silver Spring to keep the same standard of living.