City comparison
Hackensack, NJ is about 175 miles (300 km) from Malden, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 4 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 Hackensack, NJ to Malden, MA takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Malden has a population of 65,463, vs 45,758 in Hackensack — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, Malden covers about 5 sq mi vs 4.2 sq mi for Hackensack.
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 | Hackensack | Malden | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,750/mo | $1,962/mo | 12.1% higher in Malden |
| Median home value | $353,000 | $570,600 | 61.6% higher in Malden |
| Median household income | $79,133 | $90,295 | 14.1% higher in Malden |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 99.8 | 9.7% higher in Hackensack |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 144.3 | 15.9% higher in Malden |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 102.9 | 2.0% higher in Hackensack |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 103.7 | 2.0% higher in Hackensack |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Hackensack, you'd need $100,064 in Malden to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Hackensack and Malden have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Hackensack, you'd need about $80,051 in Malden to keep the same standard of living.