Massachusetts

Distance from Boston to Cambridge

Straight-line distance

5.7mi

Boston, MA and Cambridge, MA are 5.7 miles (9.2 km) apart in a straight line. From Boston, the shortest path starts out heading WNW (297°).

kilometers
9.2
nautical miles
5.0
heading from Boston
297° WNW
heading from Cambridge
117° ESE
BostonCambridge

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Boston is from Cambridge

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Boston and Cambridge is 5.7 miles, 9.2 km or 5.0 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 5.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
5.7
Kilometers
9.2
Nautical miles
5.0
Bearing from Boston
296.8° WNW
Bearing arriving at Cambridge
296.7°
Bearing from Cambridge
116.7° ESE

Halfway between Boston and Cambridge

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.357311, -71.068485 (42°21'26.32"N 71°04'6.55"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Somerville, MA, with 82,149 residents, 2.8 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Boston gets 15 h 17 min of daylight and Cambridge 15 h 17 min; on December 21, 9 h 05 min and 9 h 04 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Boston has 5.6 times the population of Cambridge. From July 2020 to July 2024, Boston changed by -0.3% and Cambridge by +2.5%. Both are in Massachusetts.

  1. 01Boston, MA673,458 (-0.3%)
  2. 02Cambridge, MA121,186 (+2.5%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Boston from Cambridge?

5.7 miles, 9.2 km or 5.0 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Cambridge from Boston?

WNW. The great-circle path leaves Boston on a bearing of 296.8° and arrives at Cambridge on 296.7°. The return trip starts on 116.7°.

What is halfway between Boston and Cambridge?

The midpoint is at 42.357311, -71.068485. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Somerville, MA, 2.8 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Boston and Cambridge?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Boston or Cambridge?

Boston, with 673,458 residents in July 2024 against 121,186 for Cambridge, 5.6 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.