City comparison
Scranton, PA is about 450 miles (700 km) from Winston-Salem, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 550 miles, or about 9 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 Scranton, PA to Winston-Salem, NC takes about 53 min, covering roughly 450 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.
Winston-Salem has a population of 249,571, vs 76,119 in Scranton — about 3.3× larger by population. By land area, Winston-Salem covers about 135 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for Scranton.
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 | Scranton | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $933/mo | $956/mo | 2.5% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Median home value | $125,700 | $187,400 | 49.1% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Median household income | $48,776 | $54,416 | 11.6% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Groceries index | 100.7 | 96.8 | 4.0% higher in Scranton |
| Utilities index | 105.9 | 89.1 | 18.8% higher in Scranton |
| Transportation index | 97.6 | 98.4 | 0.9% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Healthcare index | 98.3 | 97.9 | ≈ equal (Scranton slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Scranton, you'd need $100,023 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Scranton and Winston-Salem have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 7% higher in Winston-Salem than in Scranton. If you earn $80,000 in Scranton, you'd need about $80,019 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.