City comparison
Reston, 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 Reston, 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 62,339 in Reston — about 3.6× larger by population. By land area, Richmond covers about 60 sq mi vs 15 sq mi for Reston.
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 | Reston | Richmond | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,109/mo | $1,227/mo | 71.9% higher in Reston |
| Median home value | $591,900 | $308,300 | 92.0% higher in Reston |
| Median household income | $135,503 | $59,606 | 127.3% higher in Reston |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 96.9 | 7.6% higher in Reston |
| Utilities index | 105.6 | 89.7 | 17.7% higher in Reston |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 98.8 | 3.4% higher in Reston |
| Healthcare index | 101.6 | 98.3 | 3.4% higher in Reston |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Reston, you'd need $78,722 in Richmond to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Richmond, VA is about 21.3% cheaper overall than Reston, VA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 54% higher in Reston than in Richmond. If you earn $80,000 in Reston, you'd need about $62,977 in Richmond to keep the same standard of living.