How far is Chicago from the ocean?
Chicago is a long way from the sea: the nearest coastline is 506 miles (814 km) away in a straight line. The nearest stretch of coast is in Ontario, Canada.
To the coast
506 miles
814 km · straight line
Nearest land border
232 miles
with Canada
Setting
Far inland
10th farthest from the ocean of 182 cities
ChicagoNearest point on the coast
How far are you from the ocean?
Measure from where you are standing. On a phone this uses GPS, so the answer is for your exact spot, not the city centre.
Chicago at a glance
- Coordinates
- 41.8500° N, 87.6500° W
- Region
- Illinois, United States
- Distance to the coast
- 506 miles (814 km), in a straight line
- Nearest point on the coast
- 44.1868° N, 78.1739° W (Ontario, Canada)
- Nearest land border
- 232 miles (374 km), with Canada
- Among United States's cities
- 4th farthest from the ocean of the 40 cities measured
Nearby cities and the coast
| City | Country | To the coast |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | United States | 494 miles (796 km) |
| Indianapolis | United States | 483 miles (777 km) |
| Detroit | United States | 277 miles (446 km) |
| Louisville | United States | 458 miles (737 km) |
| Columbus | United States | 322 miles (517 km) |
| Nashville | United States | 382 miles (615 km) |
Questions
How far is Chicago from the ocean?
Chicago is a long way from the sea: the nearest coastline is 506 miles (814 km) away in a straight line. The nearest stretch of coast is in Ontario, Canada.
Is that the driving distance?
No. 506 miles (814 km) is the straight-line distance from the city centre to the nearest point on the shore. The drive to a beach is longer, often much longer, and depends on the roads.
How far is Chicago from the nearest border?
Chicago is 232 miles (374 km) from the nearest land border, with Canada, in a straight line.
Where in Chicago is this measured from?
From the city's centre point (41.8500° N, 87.6500° W). A large city spreads out, so some neighbourhoods are closer to the ocean than this and some farther. For an exact figure from where you are, use your own location.
Measured by MapGO on October 8, 2026 with the same coastline data as the distance to coastline calculator. All distances are straight lines over the Earth's surface.