City comparison
New York, NY is about 100 miles (175 km) from Wilkes-Barre, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h 15 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 York, NY to Wilkes-Barre, PA takes about 13 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.
New York has a population of 8,622,467, vs 44,123 in Wilkes-Barre — about 195.4× larger by population. By land area, New York covers about 300 sq mi vs 6.8 sq mi for Wilkes-Barre.
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 York | Wilkes-Barre | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,714/mo | $897/mo | 91.1% higher in New York |
| Median home value | $732,100 | $98,200 | 645.5% higher in New York |
| Median household income | $76,607 | $46,597 | 64.4% higher in New York |
| Groceries index | 109.6 | 100.7 | 8.8% higher in New York |
| Utilities index | 128.8 | 105.9 | 21.7% higher in New York |
| Transportation index | 105.4 | 97.6 | 8.0% higher in New York |
| Healthcare index | 105.3 | 98.3 | 7.1% higher in New York |
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 York, you'd need $68,365 in Wilkes-Barre to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Wilkes-Barre, PA is about 31.6% cheaper overall than New York, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 119% higher in New York than in Wilkes-Barre. If you earn $80,000 in New York, you'd need about $54,692 in Wilkes-Barre to keep the same standard of living.