Orlando to Tampa distance

Orlando to Tampa by road

The fastest driving route is 84.5 miles (136 km) long and takes about 1 hr 40 min without stops or traffic. Almost all of it is on I-4: 80.3 mi of 84.5 mi.

The whole route stays in Florida. That’s an average of 51 mph (83 km/h), and at under two hours you can do it without stopping. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Orlando and Tampa are 77.4 miles (125 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 9% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 109. The route runs almost straight. Of the 40 US pairs in this series, it ranks 30th for detour (the average is 14%).

From Orlando, Tampa lies to the southwest (bearing 239°), and from Tampa, Orlando lies to the northeast.

Halfway between Orlando and Tampa

Halfway along the straight line, 38.7 miles (62.3 km) from each city, is the point 28.2440° N, 81.9203° W. It falls near St. Leo (Florida, pop. 2,468), 21.4 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is University (Florida, pop. 41,902), 49.9 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 42.2 miles (68.0 km) from each city, near Waverly (Florida, pop. 187), 18.0 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is University (Florida, pop. 41,902), 49.7 mi away. The two midpoints are 7.6 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time zone

Orlando and Tampa share the same time all year: both are on Eastern Time.

The two cities

Orlando sits at 103 ft (31 m) and Tampa at 15 ft (5 m), 88 ft (27 m) lower.

Orlando has 333,888 people and Tampa 413,554 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).