City comparison
Lowell, MA is about 125 miles (200 km) from New Haven, CT in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 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 Lowell, MA to New Haven, CT takes about 15 min, covering roughly 125 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.
New Haven has a population of 135,736, vs 114,737 in Lowell — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, New Haven covers about 19 sq mi vs 14 sq mi for Lowell.
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 | Lowell | New Haven | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,466/mo | $1,402/mo | 4.6% higher in Lowell |
| Median home value | $362,800 | $236,500 | 53.4% higher in Lowell |
| Median household income | $73,008 | $54,305 | 34.4% higher in Lowell |
| Groceries index | 99.4 | 106.7 | 7.4% higher in New Haven |
| Utilities index | 141.1 | 128.3 | 10.0% higher in Lowell |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 104.3 | 1.3% higher in New Haven |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 105.1 | 1.3% higher in New Haven |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Lowell, you'd need $99,584 in New Haven to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New Haven, CT is about 0.4% cheaper overall than Lowell, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Lowell than in New Haven. If you earn $80,000 in Lowell, you'd need about $79,667 in New Haven to keep the same standard of living.