How it works
The international mile is exactly 1,609.344 metres (5,280 feet). Road distances and speed limits are in miles in the US and UK, and in kilometres almost everywhere else, including the whole Arab world — so this conversion matters for travel, running races and car specifications.
The formula
mi = km ÷ 1.609344 ≈ km × 0.621371 km = mi × 1.609344Worked example. A 42.195 km marathon is 42.195 ÷ 1.609344 = 26.22 miles. A 5K run is 3.11 miles. A US speed limit of 65 mph is 65 × 1.609344 = 104.6 km/h — the same factor works for speeds.
Quick reference table
| Kilometres | Miles | Miles | Kilometres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 0.6214 mi | 1 mi | 1.6093 km |
| 5 km | 3.1069 mi | 5 mi | 8.0467 km |
| 10 km | 6.2137 mi | 10 mi | 16.0934 km |
| 21.0975 km | 13.1094 mi | 21.0975 mi | 33.9531 km |
| 42.195 km | 26.2188 mi | 42.195 mi | 67.9063 km |
| 50 km | 31.0686 mi | 50 mi | 80.4672 km |
| 100 km | 62.1371 mi | 100 mi | 160.9344 km |
| 120 km | 74.5645 mi | 120 mi | 193.1213 km |
| 200 km | 124.2742 mi | 200 mi | 321.8688 km |
| 500 km | 310.6856 mi | 500 mi | 804.672 km |
| 1,000 km | 621.3712 mi | 1,000 mi | 1,609.344 km |
| 1,609.344 km | 1,000 mi | 1,609.344 mi | 2,589.9881 km |
Quick mental shortcut
Use the Fibonacci numbers: 5 miles ≈ 8 km, 8 miles ≈ 13 km, 13 miles ≈ 21 km. Or multiply km by 0.6 for a rough mile figure (slightly low by about 3.5%).
Nautical miles are different
Ships and aircraft use the nautical mile, exactly 1,852 m (about 1.15 statute miles). You will find it in the length section of the unit converter, and knots for speed.
Planning a road trip? Estimate the fuel with the fuel cost calculator.