Height Difference Calculator
Enter two heights and get the exact difference in centimetres, feet and inches, and inches, plus how much taller one is than the other as a percentage. Add more people if you need to; the result then compares the tallest with the shortest.
Heights
Height difference
Person A is 15 cm taller than Person B
- Centimetres
- 15 cm
- Feet + inches
- 5.9″
- Inches
- 5.91 in
Percentage difference
- 9.1% taller: 15 cm ÷ 165 cm, relative to the shorter height (Person B).
- 8.3% shorter: 15 cm ÷ 180 cm, relative to the taller height (Person A).
Side by side
The formula
Both heights are converted to centimetres, the larger is reduced by the smaller, and the answer is converted to each unit. Nothing is rounded until the result is shown.
Example: 180 cm and 165 cm. The difference is 180 − 165 = 15 cm. Dividing by 2.54 cm per inch gives 15 ÷ 2.54 = 5.91 in.
The same sum works in feet and inches. 5′ 11″ is 71 inches and 5′ 5″ is 65 inches, so the difference is 6 in, or 15.24 cm. Converting both to centimetres first, 180.34 cm − 165.1 cm, lands on the same 15.24 cm.
Percentage difference: taller or shorter?
A percentage needs a base, and the calculator shows both so you can pick the one you mean. Using the 15 cm gap above:
- 180 cm is 9.1% taller than 165 cm, because 15 ÷ 165 uses the shorter height as the base.
- 165 cm is 8.3% shorter than 180 cm, because 15 ÷ 180 uses the taller height as the base.
“Taller” is relative to the shorter person and “shorter” to the taller person, which is why the two figures never match. For three or more people the percentages describe the tallest against the shortest.
Common couple height differences
People often look up a height difference to see how a couple’s heights compare. The table shows the gap in inches, with centimetres underneath, for common heights: her 5′ 0″ to 5′ 8″ down the side, his 5′ 8″ to 6′ 2″ across the top. Each cell is his height minus hers.
| Her height ↓ / His height → | 5′ 8″ | 5′ 10″ | 6′ 0″ | 6′ 2″ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 0″ | 8 in20.3 cm | 10 in25.4 cm | 12 in30.5 cm | 14 in35.6 cm |
| 5′ 2″ | 6 in15.2 cm | 8 in20.3 cm | 10 in25.4 cm | 12 in30.5 cm |
| 5′ 4″ | 4 in10.2 cm | 6 in15.2 cm | 8 in20.3 cm | 10 in25.4 cm |
| 5′ 6″ | 2 in5.1 cm | 4 in10.2 cm | 6 in15.2 cm | 8 in20.3 cm |
| 5′ 8″ | 0 in0 cm | 2 in5.1 cm | 4 in10.2 cm | 6 in15.2 cm |
Putting a couple’s gap in context
There is no right or ideal gap. For a sense of scale, the mean measured heights of US men and women aged 20 and over are 175.3 cm and 161.3 cm (CDC/NCHS, NHANES 2015–2018 (opens in new tab)), a gap of 14.0 cm or 5.5 in. That is an average across everyone measured, not a typical couple.
Footwear changes what you see in person: a 5 cm heel on the shorter person turns a 15 cm gap into 10 cm, and on the taller person into 20 cm. To see two heights next to each other, and add presets such as celebrities or animals, open the height comparison tool.
Common mistakes
- Using the wrong base for the percentage. “15% taller” and “15% shorter” are different statements. Check whether the percentage is of the shorter or the taller height.
- Rounding before subtracting. Rounding 5′ 10.6″ to 5′ 11″ and subtracting can be off by up to an inch. Enter the precise heights, or round only the answer.
- Subtracting feet and inches column by column. 6′ 1″ − 5′ 10″ is not 1′ −9″. Convert to inches first (73 − 70 = 3 in), or let the calculator do it.
- Comparing a measurement with a claim. Self-reported heights are usually rounded up, and measured height changes slightly through the day and with posture. Differences of a centimetre or so are within that noise.
Need to convert one of the heights first? Use the height converter.