Boston to Providence distance

Boston to Providence by road

The fastest driving route is 50.3 miles (80.9 km) long and takes about 1 hr 10 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on I-95 (31.9 mi) and I-93 (15.7 mi).

It goes through 2 states: Massachusetts (43.5 mi) and Rhode Island (6.8 mi). That’s an average of 44 mph (71 km/h), and at under two hours you can do it without stopping. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Boston and Providence are 41.1 miles (66.2 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 22% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 122. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 110 US driving pairs in this series, it ranks 15th for detour (the average is 16%).

From Boston, Providence lies to the southwest (bearing 206°), and from Providence, Boston lies to the northeast.

Halfway between Boston and Providence

Halfway along the straight line, 20.6 miles (33.1 km) from each city, is the point 42.0914° N, 71.2370° W. It falls near Franklin Town (Massachusetts, pop. 33,955), 8.9 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 25.1 miles (40.4 km) from each city, near Franklin Town (Massachusetts, pop. 33,955), 9.4 mi away. The two midpoints almost coincide (1.7 mi apart), because the road doesn’t stray far from the straight line.

Time zone

Boston and Providence share the same time all year: both are on Eastern Time.

The two cities

Boston and Providence sit at almost the same elevation: 48 ft (15 m) and 9 ft (3 m).

Boston has 672,973 people and Providence 195,310 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).