Mile vs. Kilometer. A mile and a kilometer are both units of length or distance. Kilometers are used in the metric system and each one is about 6/10 of a mile, which is used in the US standard system of measurement. A mile is a unit of length or distance measurement that is equal to 5,280 feet. It is part of the US standard units of measure. Compared with the metric system, a mile is about 1,609 meters. Its abbreviation is m. A kilometer is a unit of length or distance measurement that is equal to 1,000 meters. It is part of the metric system of measurement. Its abbreviation is km. A mile is longer than a kilometer. One mile is equal to 1.609 kilometers.