Quick answer: A distance calculator measures how far apart two places are. Enter two cities, airports, addresses or coordinates above, and this tool returns the straight-line (great-circle) distance in kilometers, miles or nautical miles, plus bearing, midpoint and estimated travel times.
What Is a Distance Calculator?
A distance calculator is an online tool that works out the shortest distance between two locations on Earth. Instead of measuring on a flat map, it converts each place into a latitude and longitude and applies a spherical formula, so the result accounts for the curve of the planet.
This is the same kind of "as the crow flies" distance that airlines, pilots and ship navigators use when planning routes. It is ideal for comparing destinations, estimating flight length, checking how far a hotel is from an airport, or settling a debate about which city is closer.
How to Use This Distance Calculator
- Choose your input mode. Use "Search places" to type a city, airport, address or landmark, or switch to "Coordinates" to enter exact latitude and longitude.
- Select both locations. When searching, pick each place from the suggestion list so the tool has exact coordinates.
- Pick your unit. Choose kilometers, miles or nautical miles. You can change it after calculating without re-entering anything.
- Press "Calculate distance." You'll see the distance, compass bearing, midpoint, time-zone gap and travel-time estimates, along with the route drawn on the map.
- Swap or copy. Use the swap button to reverse the trip, or "Copy result" to share the answer.
How the Distance Is Calculated: The Haversine Formula
The calculator uses the Haversine formula, a standard method for finding the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere. It uses an average Earth radius of 6,371 km (about 3,959 miles).
c = 2 · atan2(√a, √(1−a))
distance = R × c
Here φ is latitude, λ is longitude (both in radians), Δ is the difference between the two points, and R is the Earth's radius.
Worked example: New York to London
New York City sits at about 40.71° N, 74.01° W and London at about 51.51° N, 0.13° W. Putting those values through the formula gives a straight-line distance of roughly 5,570 km (about 3,461 miles). That is the direct line between the two cities; a real transatlantic flight path may differ slightly because of jet streams and air-traffic routes.
Straight-Line Distance vs. Road Distance
| Feature | Straight-line (great-circle) | Road / driving distance |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Shortest path over the Earth's surface | Distance along actual roads |
| Typical length | The minimum possible | Usually 10–40% longer |
| Needs road data? | No, only coordinates | Yes, live routing data |
| Best for | Flights, comparisons, planning | Road trips, delivery, fuel costs |
This tool gives straight-line distance. For turn-by-turn road distance, use a mapping service and treat the number above as a useful lower bound.
Sample Distances Between Popular Cities
| Route | Approx. distance (km) | Approx. distance (miles) |
|---|---|---|
| New York → Los Angeles | 3,936 | 2,446 |
| New York → London | 5,570 | 3,461 |
| Chicago → Miami | 1,918 | 1,192 |
| London → Edinburgh | 534 | 332 |
| London → Manchester | 262 | 163 |
Figures are rounded straight-line distances. Enter the same cities in the calculator for exact values.
Understanding Bearing, Midpoint and Travel Times
Bearing
The bearing is the compass direction you would initially face travelling from the first place to the second, shown in degrees (0° is north, 90° east, 180° south, 270° west) with a compass label such as NE or WSW. On long routes the bearing changes along the way, because a great-circle path curves across a map.
Midpoint
The midpoint is the geographic point halfway along the great-circle route. It's handy for finding a fair meeting spot or the halfway mark of a flight.
Estimated travel times
Travel times use average speeds: 5 km/h walking, 15 km/h cycling, 70 km/h driving (with roads assumed about 25% longer than the direct line) and 850 km/h flying, plus 30 minutes for take-off and landing. They are planning estimates, not schedules.
Who Uses a Distance Calculator?
- Travellers comparing destinations, estimating flight length or checking how far a hotel is from an airport or landmark.
- Students and teachers working with geography, maps and the mathematics of spherical distance.
- Businesses estimating delivery zones, service areas and shipping regions.
- Property buyers and renters measuring how far a home is from work, schools or family.
- Pilots, sailors and hikers who want a quick nautical-mile or direct-line figure.
Accuracy and Limitations
The Haversine formula treats the Earth as a perfect sphere. In reality the planet is slightly flattened, so results can differ from more complex ellipsoid models by up to roughly 0.5%. For travel planning and general use, that difference is negligible.
The tool does not account for roads, elevation, borders, flight corridors or ferry routes. Location search relies on OpenStreetMap data, so results depend on how a place is recorded there. If a search returns the wrong place, enter exact coordinates instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate the distance between two cities?
Type both cities into the calculator and press "Calculate distance." The tool converts each city to coordinates and applies the Haversine formula to give the straight-line distance in km, miles or nautical miles.
How accurate is this distance calculator?
It's typically accurate to within about 0.5% for straight-line distance. It doesn't include roads, terrain or flight routing, so real travel distance is usually longer.
Can I calculate distance using latitude and longitude?
Yes. Switch to "Coordinates" mode and enter decimal latitude and longitude for both points, for example 40.7128 and -74.0060. Use negative values for south and west.
Does it calculate driving distance?
No. It measures straight-line distance only. Driving distance needs live road data. The driving time shown is a rough estimate based on the direct distance.
What is the difference between kilometers, miles and nautical miles?
One mile is about 1.609 km. A nautical mile is 1.852 km and is used in aviation and shipping because it matches one minute of latitude.
What is the Haversine formula?
It's a formula that finds the shortest distance between two points on a sphere from their latitudes and longitudes, accounting for the Earth's curvature.
Why is the flight time longer than the straight-line estimate suggests?
Flights follow air corridors, avoid restricted airspace and adjust for weather and winds, and time is added for taxiing, climbing and landing.
Is this distance calculator free?
Yes. It's free to use, needs no sign-up and runs in your browser.
Location search data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are estimates for planning purposes only.