City comparison
New Britain, CT is about 175 miles (275 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 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 New Britain, CT to Philadelphia, PA takes about 20 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.
Philadelphia has a population of 1,593,208, vs 74,212 in New Britain — about 21.5× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 13 sq mi for New Britain.
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 | New Britain | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,136/mo | $1,250/mo | 10.0% higher in Philadelphia |
| Median home value | $188,700 | $215,500 | 14.2% higher in Philadelphia |
| Median household income | $53,766 | $57,537 | 7.0% higher in Philadelphia |
| Groceries index | 97.4 | 97.0 | ≈ equal (New Britain slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 147.8 | 112.3 | 31.6% higher in New Britain |
| Transportation index | 101.0 | 101.7 | 0.7% higher in Philadelphia |
| Healthcare index | 101.8 | 102.7 | 0.8% higher in Philadelphia |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in New Britain, you'd need $108,851 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New Britain, CT is about 8.1% cheaper overall than Philadelphia, PA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 33% higher in Philadelphia than in New Britain. If you earn $80,000 in New Britain, you'd need about $87,081 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.