Travel Time Calculator by Distance

Travel time is distance divided by average speed

Ten miles at Seoul's average car speed of 14.0 mph (22.5 km/h) takes about 43 minutes. By subway at 20.4 mph (32.8 km/h) it takes about 29 minutes, and on foot at 2.5 mph (4 km/h) it takes 4 hours 1 minute. The distance is the same, but the time differs by more than a factor of eight depending on the average speed of the mode.

Pick a distance and a mode in the calculator above and the travel time appears at once. The bars below it compare the same distance on foot, by bike, bus, subway and car. Choose "Distance from time" to answer questions like "I can drive for 10 minutes, how far is that, and how long would it take on foot?" Add a departure time or an arrival target and it also works out when you will arrive or when you need to leave.

The calculator uses only the distance and the average speed you give it. It does not read live traffic. Where it matters, the default speeds below are Seoul's official figures, so replace them with what you actually see in your own city.

When to calculate by hand instead of opening a maps app

A maps app is best once you have a start, a destination and a real route. When you only know a distance, want several modes side by side, or are building a schedule in advance, distance and average speed give a quick estimate.

• Before choosing how to travel: a 15-mile commute takes about 1 hour 4 minutes by car at city speed, 44 minutes by subway at Seoul's schedule speed and 1 hour 37 minutes by bike. That makes the choice easier.
• Comparing homes or hotels: a listing that says "half a mile from the station" is about 12 minutes on foot at 2.5 mph.
• Building a schedule: to arrive by 9:00 AM after a 15-mile drive with a 10-minute buffer, subtract the drive and the buffer. At the default city speed that means leaving at 7:45 AM.
• Planning a ride or run: 50 miles on a bike at 9.3 mph takes about 5 hours 22 minutes before any stops.

How the calculation works

1. Put the distance in kilometers: divide meters by 1,000 and multiply miles by 1.609344 (the international mile, exactly, per NIST).
2. Travel time = distance (km) ÷ average speed (km/h). A result of 0.45 hours is 0.45 × 60 = 27 minutes.
3. Distance from time: distance = average speed × time. Driving 10 minutes at 22.5 km/h (14.0 mph) gives 22.5 × 10 ÷ 60 = 3.75 km, which is 2.33 miles. Walking that distance at 4 km/h takes about 56 minutes.
4. Departure and arrival: departure time plus travel time plus breaks is your arrival time. Arrival target minus travel time minus buffer is your departure time. To avoid being late, departure rounds down to the minute and arrival rounds up.

Formulas time = distance ÷ speed · distance = speed × time · departure = arrival target − travel time − buffer

Default average speeds and where they come from

Where an official statistic exists the default uses it, and elsewhere it is an estimate. The calculator shows speeds in mph, and the table lists both units. Type another value in the average speed field and everything is recalculated with it.

Schedule speed is the distance a train covers divided by running time plus time standing in stations, so station stops are already included. Walking to the station, waiting for the train and transfers are not included and must be added. Seoul's average car speed fell from 25.2 km/h (15.7 mph) in 2015 to 22.5 km/h (14.0 mph) in 2025, and buses averaged 17.1 km/h (10.6 mph) in 2025.

There is no US-wide highway default because speed limits are set by each state. Maximum rural interstate limits in the IIHS table run from 60 mph in Hawaii to 80 mph in several states, and up to 85 mph on specified segments in Texas. Your real average also depends on traffic, so use your own typical figure in the speed field.

Travel time by distance

These values use the default speeds above. For the subway add walking to the station, waiting and transfers, and for the highway add rest stops, traffic and tolls.

If it is 10 minutes by car, how far is it on foot?

"Ten minutes away by car" is a time, but to compare it with walking or cycling you need a distance. In "Distance from time", enter Car (city) and 10 minutes and you get about 2.33 miles. Walking that far takes about 56 minutes and cycling about 15 minutes.

The speed behind the 10 minutes changes the answer a great deal. Ten minutes at Seoul's downtown average of 18.0 km/h (11.2 mph) is 3 km, or 1.86 miles. Ten minutes at a steady 100 km/h (62 mph) is about 10.4 miles, which is about 4 hours 10 minutes of walking.

Common mistakes

• Using straight-line distance: roads bend, so the distance you actually travel is longer than the line on a map. Use the route distance from a maps app, or the time comes out too short.
• Forgetting the walk to the station: schedule speed counts only the time on the train. Add the walk, the wait on the platform and any transfers.
• Treating the speed limit as your average speed: a limit is a ceiling. Stoplights, traffic and stops pull the average well below it, so a 65 mph limit rarely means 65 mph for the whole trip.
• Mixing miles and kilometers: a mile is 1.609344 km. Entering a distance in miles as if it were kilometers makes the time about 38% too short.
• Forgetting the return trip: the result is one way. Double it for a round trip.

Limits and cautions

• Only the distance and average speed you enter are used. Live traffic, signals, weather and route choice are not included, so check a maps app or traffic report just before you leave. This is not a commute time calculator with traffic. To reflect your usual rush hour, type the average speed you actually see.
• The bus, subway and car defaults are Seoul all-day averages, not US figures. Afternoon car speed in downtown Seoul fell as low as 15.4 km/h (9.6 mph) in 2025.
• The highway default is a round number for non-stop driving. It does not follow any one state's limit.
• Saved routes stay in this browser only and disappear if you clear browser data.

Sources

• 01Seoul Metropolitan Government: 2025 Seoul Vehicle Traffic Speed ReportCars citywide 22.5 km/h (25.2 in 2015), downtown 18.0, urban expressways 51.0, downtown afternoon 15.4. Buses citywide 17.1 km/h, median bus lanes 17.8.
• 02Public Data Portal (Korea): Seoul Metro lines 1 to 8 schedule speedSchedule speed = distance ÷ (running time + station stop time). Line 1 at 26 km/h to Line 4 at 40.1 km/h, lines 1 to 8 average 32.8 km/h (file dated 2026-09-03).
• 03NIST SP 811 Appendix B.8: Factors for Units Listed Alphabeticallymile (mi) to kilometer (km): 1.609 344 (exact)
• 04IIHS: Speed"Speed limit laws, which date to 1901, traditionally have been the responsibility of the states" (quoted in part). The 1995 repeal of the national maximum speed limit allowed "states to set their own limits for the first time since 1974."
• 05IIHS: Speed limit laws by stateMaximum rural interstate limits run from 60 mph (Hawaii) to 80 mph in Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and South Dakota, and Texas lists "75; 80 or 85 on specified segments of road." The page notes the table is not guaranteed to be current.

Frequently asked questions

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