City comparison
McLean, VA is about 100 miles (150 km) from Richmond, VA 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 McLean, VA to Richmond, VA takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Richmond has a population of 227,171, vs 49,587 in McLean — about 4.6× larger by population. By land area, Richmond covers about 60 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for McLean.
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 | McLean | Richmond | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,319/mo | $1,227/mo | 170.5% higher in McLean |
| Median home value | $1,257,900 | $308,300 | 308.0% higher in McLean |
| Median household income | $250,001 | $59,606 | 319.4% higher in McLean |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 96.9 | 7.6% higher in McLean |
| Utilities index | 105.6 | 89.7 | 17.7% higher in McLean |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 98.8 | 3.4% higher in McLean |
| Healthcare index | 101.6 | 98.3 | 3.4% higher in McLean |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in McLean, you'd need $76,484 in Richmond to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Richmond, VA is about 23.5% cheaper overall than McLean, VA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 63% higher in McLean than in Richmond. If you earn $80,000 in McLean, you'd need about $61,187 in Richmond to keep the same standard of living.