Distance from Chicago to Sydney

The great-circle distance between Chicago, United States and Sydney, Australia is 14,874 km (9,242 mi · 8,031 nmi) — the shortest possible route over the Earth's surface, the path aircraft approximately follow.

The numbers
Great-circle distance
14,874 km · 9,242 mi · 8,031 nmi
Initial bearing Chicago → Sydney
260° (W)
Initial bearing Sydney → Chicago
62° (ENE)
Nonstop flight (rough estimate)
≈ 18 h 09 min
Time zones
Chicago UTC-05:00 · Sydney UTC+10:00 (+15 h)
Sunrise gap today
850 min — the sun rises later in Chicago

Flight time is a cruise-speed approximation (no routing/wind); driving distance depends on roads and is typically 20–40% longer than great-circle.

The two cities
Chicago
41.8500, -87.6500
Sunrise / sunset today
10:52 UTC / 01:02 UTC
Sydney
-33.8678, 151.2073
Sunrise / sunset today
20:43 UTC / 07:21 UTC

Open in the distance calculator Find the halfway point

Distances here are straight-line (great-circle). Road routes typically run 1.2–1.4× longer — here's why, with the visual.