City comparison
Lexington-Fayette, KY is about 275 miles (425 km) from Madison, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 h 30 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY to Madison, AL takes about 32 min, covering roughly 275 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.
Lexington-Fayette has a population of 321,276, vs 56,967 in Madison — about 5.6× larger by population. By land area, Lexington-Fayette covers about 285 sq mi vs 31 sq mi for Madison.
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 | Lexington-Fayette | Madison | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,065/mo | $1,201/mo | 12.8% higher in Madison |
| Median home value | $247,900 | $327,100 | 31.9% higher in Madison |
| Median household income | $66,087 | $118,132 | 78.8% higher in Madison |
| Groceries index | 95.9 | 96.6 | 0.7% higher in Madison |
| Utilities index | 79.8 | 84.9 | 6.4% higher in Madison |
| Transportation index | 97.7 | 97.0 | 0.6% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
| Healthcare index | 97.2 | 96.5 | 0.7% higher in Lexington-Fayette |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Lexington-Fayette, you'd need $100,193 in Madison to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Lexington-Fayette and Madison have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Lexington-Fayette, you'd need about $80,154 in Madison to keep the same standard of living.