City comparison
Lowell, MA is about 275 miles (425 km) from Philadelphia, PA 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 Lowell, MA to Philadelphia, PA 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.
Philadelphia has a population of 1,593,208, vs 114,737 in Lowell — about 13.9× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 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 | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,466/mo | $1,250/mo | 17.3% higher in Lowell |
| Median home value | $362,800 | $215,500 | 68.4% higher in Lowell |
| Median household income | $73,008 | $57,537 | 26.9% higher in Lowell |
| Groceries index | 99.4 | 97.0 | 2.4% higher in Lowell |
| Utilities index | 141.1 | 112.3 | 25.6% higher in Lowell |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 101.7 | 1.2% higher in Lowell |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 102.7 | 1.0% higher in Lowell |
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 $86,686 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 13.3% cheaper overall than Lowell, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% higher in Lowell than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Lowell, you'd need about $69,349 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.