Elevation Finder

How high above sea level are you? This elevation finder gives three ways to find out without sending your location anywhere: your device’s own GPS altitude (on phones and tablets that report it), a barometric reading converted with the standard atmosphere formula, or a list of approximate elevations for well-known places. Then it shows what the height means for air pressure, cooking and breathing.

Three ways to find your elevation

GPS altitude is less precise than GPS latitude and longitude because the satellites are all above you, giving poorer vertical geometry. Many phones combine GPS with a built-in barometer to smooth altitude readings, which is why altimeter apps may show different numbers from the raw GPS value.

The barometric formula

In the International Standard Atmosphere, altitude h (metres) is related to pressure P and sea-level pressure P₀ by h = 44,330.8 × (1 − (P / P₀)^0.190263). This is how aircraft altimeters and most barometric watches work. Pilots set the altimeter to the local sea-level pressure (the QNH setting) so the reading is correct for the day’s weather; if you use the standard 1013.25 hPa instead, a high-pressure day will make you appear lower than you are and a low-pressure day higher.

A useful rule of thumb near sea level: pressure falls by about 1 hPa for every 8–9 metres (about 27–30 feet) of climb, or roughly 1 inHg per 1,000 feet.

What elevation changes

Boiling points use the standard atmosphere and the Antoine equation for water; actual values vary with weather by a degree or so. Lower boiling points mean food takes longer to cook in boiling water, and many recipes include high-altitude adjustments above about 3,000 feet.

Worked example: barometer reading

You’re at a mountain cabin and your barometer reads 840 hPa. The nearest weather station reports a sea-level pressure of 1,013 hPa. The ratio is 840 / 1,013 = 0.829; raised to the power 0.190263 that gives 0.965; one minus that is 0.0350; multiplied by 44,330.8 the result is about 1,550 m, or roughly 5,090 feet. If the weather report had said 1,003 hPa instead, the same reading would give about 1,470 m — showing why using the current local sea-level pressure matters.

Altitude and your body

• Above about 2,500 m (8,200 ft), acute mountain sickness becomes common: headache, nausea, fatigue and poor sleep.
• Ascending gradually — often advised as no more than 300–500 m increase in sleeping altitude per day above 3,000 m — lets the body acclimatise.
• Severe symptoms such as confusion, loss of coordination or breathlessness at rest need descent and medical help.
• The “effective oxygen” figure shows the sea-level oxygen percentage that would give the same oxygen pressure — the air still contains about 21% oxygen at every altitude, but there is less air.

This tool is for information and planning; it isn’t medical advice. People with heart or lung conditions should talk to a doctor before travelling to high altitude.

Elevation for cooking and baking

Above about 3,000 feet, cakes can rise too fast and collapse, liquids evaporate faster and boiled foods cook more slowly. Common adjustments include reducing baking powder slightly, raising oven temperature by 15–25 °F, adding a little extra liquid and shortening baking times. Candy and jam recipes that use temperatures should be adjusted by the difference between your boiling point and 212 °F — test by boiling water with your thermometer.

Elevation vs altitude vs height

The difference between the ellipsoid and sea level (the geoid) ranges from about −106 m to +85 m around the world, which is why raw GPS heights must be corrected.

Place elevations

City elevations are approximate reference values — cities often span hundreds of feet between their lowest and highest neighbourhoods.

Privacy

The GPS option uses your browser’s geolocation, which asks for permission first. The position is used only inside this page to show the altitude and is not stored or sent anywhere.