Illinois to Indiana
Distance from Chicago to South Bend
Straight-line distance
73.8mi
Chicago, IL and South Bend, IN are 73.8 miles (118.8 km) apart in a straight line. From Chicago, the shortest path starts out heading E (98°).
- kilometers
- 118.8
- nautical miles
- 64.2
- heading from Chicago
- 98° E
- heading from South Bend
- 279° W
Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders
How far Chicago is from South Bend
The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Chicago and South Bend is 73.8 miles, 118.8 km or 64.2 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 73.8 miles, practically the same at this range.
Measurements
- Miles
- 73.8
- Kilometers
- 118.8
- Nautical miles
- 64.2
- Bearing from Chicago
- 98.2° E
- Bearing arriving at South Bend
- 99.1°
- Bearing from South Bend
- 279.1° W
Halfway between Chicago and South Bend
The great-circle midpoint is at 41.758974, -86.975965 (41°45'32.30"N 86°58'33.47"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Michigan City, IN, with 31,466 residents, 6.6 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.
Time zones and daylight
Chicago uses America/Chicago and South Bend uses America/Indiana/Indianapolis; South Bend is 1 hour ahead all year. On June 21, Chicago gets 15 h 13 min of daylight and South Bend 15 h 12 min; on December 21, 9 h 08 min and 9 h 09 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.
Population compared
Chicago has 26.2 times the population of South Bend. From July 2020 to July 2024, Chicago changed by -0.9% and South Bend by +0.4%. The trip crosses from Illinois into Indiana.
- 01Chicago, IL2,721,308 (-0.9%)
- 02South Bend, IN103,713 (+0.4%)
Questions people ask
How far is Chicago from South Bend?
73.8 miles, 118.8 km or 64.2 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.
Which direction is South Bend from Chicago?
E. The great-circle path leaves Chicago on a bearing of 98.2° and arrives at South Bend on 99.1°. The return trip starts on 279.1°.
What is halfway between Chicago and South Bend?
The midpoint is at 41.758974, -86.975965. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Michigan City, IN, 6.6 miles from it.
Is there a time difference between Chicago and South Bend?
Chicago uses America/Chicago and South Bend uses America/Indiana/Indianapolis; South Bend is 1 hour ahead all year.
Which is bigger, Chicago or South Bend?
Chicago, with 2,721,308 residents in July 2024 against 103,713 for South Bend, 26.2 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.
- 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
- 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.