City comparison
Hempstead, NY is about 90 miles (150 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 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 Hempstead, NY to Philadelphia, PA takes about 11 min, covering roughly 90 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 58,557 in Hempstead — about 27.2× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 3.7 sq mi for Hempstead.
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 | Hempstead | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,670/mo | $1,250/mo | 33.6% higher in Hempstead |
| Median home value | $421,300 | $215,500 | 95.5% higher in Hempstead |
| Median household income | $80,350 | $57,537 | 39.6% higher in Hempstead |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 97.0 | 12.8% higher in Hempstead |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 112.3 | 10.9% higher in Hempstead |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 101.7 | 3.2% higher in Hempstead |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 102.7 | 3.0% higher in Hempstead |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Hempstead, you'd need $84,764 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 15.2% cheaper overall than Hempstead, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% higher in Hempstead than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Hempstead, you'd need about $67,811 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.