City comparison
Mount Vernon, NY is about 175 miles (300 km) from Salem, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 4 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 Mount Vernon, NY to Salem, MA takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Mount Vernon has a population of 72,817, vs 44,541 in Salem — about 1.6× larger by population. By land area, Salem covers about 8.3 sq mi vs 4.4 sq mi for Mount Vernon.
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 | Mount Vernon | Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,461/mo | $1,678/mo | 14.9% higher in Salem |
| Median home value | $446,400 | $464,200 | 4.0% higher in Salem |
| Median household income | $75,511 | $79,196 | 4.9% higher in Salem |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 99.8 | 9.7% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 144.3 | 15.9% higher in Salem |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 102.9 | 2.0% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 103.7 | 2.0% higher in Mount Vernon |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Mount Vernon, you'd need $100,080 in Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Mount Vernon and Salem have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Mount Vernon, you'd need about $80,064 in Salem to keep the same standard of living.