City comparison
Passaic, NJ is about 80 miles (125 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 h 45 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 Passaic, NJ to Philadelphia, PA takes about 9 min, covering roughly 80 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 70,048 in Passaic — about 22.7× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 3.1 sq mi for Passaic.
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 | Passaic | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,341/mo | $1,250/mo | 7.3% higher in Passaic |
| Median home value | $379,800 | $215,500 | 76.2% higher in Passaic |
| Median household income | $57,832 | $57,537 | 0.5% higher in Passaic |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 97.0 | 12.8% higher in Passaic |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 112.3 | 10.9% higher in Passaic |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 101.7 | 3.2% higher in Passaic |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 102.7 | 3.0% higher in Passaic |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Passaic, you'd need $85,439 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 14.6% cheaper overall than Passaic, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 29% higher in Passaic than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Passaic, you'd need about $68,351 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.