How many kilometres are in a mile?

A statute mile is exactly 1.609344 kilometres, that is, 1,609.344 metres. The figure is exact by definition since the International Yard and Pound Agreement of 1959.

How many miles are in a kilometre?

A kilometre is 0.6214 miles, a little under two thirds of a mile. To do it in your head, multiply the kilometres by 0.6: 100 km is about 62 miles.

How do you convert kilometres to miles in your head?

Multiply by 0.6 and you land within 3% of the real value. The neater trick is the Fibonacci sequence: 5 km is 3 miles, 8 km is 5 miles, 13 km is 8 miles and 21 km is 13 miles, all within 1% of the truth.

How fast is 60 mph in km/h?

60 miles per hour is 96.6 km/h. The other way round, 100 km/h is 62.1 mph and 120 km/h is 74.6 mph.

Is a nautical mile the same as a mile?

No. A statute mile is 1,609.344 metres and a nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres: the nautical one is 15% longer. It is one minute of arc of a meridian and it is used at sea and in the air.

How many metres are in a foot and in a yard?

A foot is exactly 0.3048 metres (30.48 cm) and a yard is three feet: 0.9144 metres. An inch is exactly 2.54 cm. All three have been exact by definition since 1959.

Kilometers to miles: distance converter

A mile is exactly 1.609344 kilometres, and a kilometre is 0.6214 miles. Use the converter above to turn any distance into miles, kilometres, metres, feet, yards, inches, centimetres or nautical miles — and back again. If you would rather see how far that distance reaches, the distances tool draws it to scale as a circle on a real map.

Wondering where these awkward numbers come from? The mile's 1,609.344 metres and the kilometre's round 1,000 are two opposite ways of measuring the world: we tell the story in the distance units and where they came from.

Conversion table: how much is one mile?

1 mile equals	Unit
1.6093 km	kilometres
1,609.344 m	metres
0.869 nmi	nautical miles
1,760 yd	yards
5,280 ft	feet
63,360 in	inches
160,934 cm	centimetres

Kilometers to miles table

The most-searched conversions, already worked out. Click any distance to see it drawn on the map:

Kilometres	Miles	Nautical miles
1 km	0.6214	0.54
5 km	3.1069	2.6998
10 km	6.2137	5.3996
21.0975 km (half marathon)	13.1094	11.3918
42.195 km (marathon)	26.2188	22.7834
100 km	62.1371	53.9957
1,000 km	621.3712	539.9568

Miles to kilometers table

Miles	Kilometres	Metres
1 mile	1.6093	1,609.344
3.1 miles (5K)	4.989	4,989
5 miles	8.0467	8,046.7
10 miles	16.0934	16,093.4
26.2 miles (marathon)	42.1648	42,164.8
100 miles	160.9344	160,934.4

How to convert kilometers to miles in your head

Multiplying by 0.6 leaves you within 3% of the real value, which is plenty for most conversations. But there is a better trick, and it is a lovely mathematical coincidence: because the ratio between the mile and the kilometre (1.609) is so close to the golden ratio (1.618), the Fibonacci sequence converts kilometres to miles almost perfectly. Each number in the sequence, in kilometres, is roughly the previous one in miles:

Fibonacci	Real conversion	Error
5 km ≈ 3 miles	3.1069	3.4%
8 km ≈ 5 miles	4.971	0.6%
13 km ≈ 8 miles	8.0778	1.0%
21 km ≈ 13 miles	13.0488	0.4%
34 km ≈ 21 miles	21.1266	0.6%

Speeds: mph to km/h

The conversion is the same one (× 1.609344), and it is the one you need when the rental car abroad shows kilometres per hour:

Miles per hour	km/h
30 mph	48.3 km/h
50 mph	80.5 km/h
60 mph	96.6 km/h
70 mph	112.7 km/h

And the other way round: 50 km/h is 31.1 mph, 100 km/h is 62.1 mph and 120 km/h is 74.6 mph.

Example conversions

Click any of these and you will see it worked out above:

See these distances on the map

Articles about distances

Distances

From the foot to the metre: why we measure distance the way we do

For millennia we measured with the body and with work. The metre was the first attempt to measure with the planet instead… and the expedition that measured it got it wrong. Every distance unit, where it came from and how long it is.

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Distances

How long is a nautical mile?

A nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres: one minute of arc of a meridian and 15% longer than the statute mile. What a knot is, where the figure comes from and a conversion table.

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Distances

How long is a marathon?

A marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards, 42.195 km, and a half marathon is exactly half of that. Why such an odd figure, paces and finishing times, and the marathon drawn to scale over your city.

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All articles →

Frequently asked questions about kilometers and miles

How many kilometres are in a mile?: A statute mile is exactly 1.609344 kilometres, that is, 1,609.344 metres. The figure is exact by definition since the International Yard and Pound Agreement of 1959.
How many miles are in a kilometre?: A kilometre is 0.6214 miles, a little under two thirds of a mile. To do it in your head, multiply the kilometres by 0.6: 100 km is about 62 miles.
How do you convert kilometres to miles in your head?: Multiply by 0.6 and you land within 3% of the real value. The neater trick is the Fibonacci sequence: 5 km is 3 miles, 8 km is 5 miles, 13 km is 8 miles and 21 km is 13 miles, all within 1% of the truth.
How fast is 60 mph in km/h?: 60 miles per hour is 96.6 km/h. The other way round, 100 km/h is 62.1 mph and 120 km/h is 74.6 mph.
Is a nautical mile the same as a mile?: No. A statute mile is 1,609.344 metres and a nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres: the nautical one is 15% longer. It is one minute of arc of a meridian and it is used at sea and in the air.
How many metres are in a foot and in a yard?: A foot is exactly 0.3048 metres (30.48 cm) and a yard is three feet: 0.9144 metres. An inch is exactly 2.54 cm. All three have been exact by definition since 1959.

Want to see a distance rather than just convert it? Try the distances tool, which draws any distance to scale as a circle on a real map, or measure a distance yourself point by point. There are also tools for areas, liters and kilos, plus an area converter.