City comparison
Rockville, MD is about 10 miles (10 km) from Silver Spring, MD in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 10 miles, or about 11 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 Rockville, MD to Silver Spring, MD takes about 1 min, covering roughly 10 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.
Silver Spring has a population of 81,808, vs 67,142 in Rockville — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, Rockville covers about 14 sq mi vs 7.9 sq mi for Silver Spring.
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 | Rockville | Silver Spring | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,167/mo | $1,826/mo | 18.7% higher in Rockville |
| Median home value | $623,800 | $606,100 | 2.9% higher in Rockville |
| Median household income | $122,470 | $95,213 | 28.6% higher in Rockville |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 104.3 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 105.6 | 105.6 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 102.2 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 101.6 | 101.6 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Rockville, you'd need $99,179 in Silver Spring to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Silver Spring, MD is about 0.8% cheaper overall than Rockville, MD, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Rockville than in Silver Spring. If you earn $80,000 in Rockville, you'd need about $79,343 in Silver Spring to keep the same standard of living.