City comparison
Abilene, TX is about 800 miles (1,300 km) from Sioux Falls, SD in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,000 miles, or about 16 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Abilene, TX to Sioux Falls, SD takes about 1 h 34 min, covering roughly 800 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Sioux Falls has a population of 193,401, vs 126,356 in Abilene — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Abilene covers about 105 sq mi vs 84 sq mi for Sioux Falls.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Abilene | Sioux Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,060/mo | $965/mo | 9.8% higher in Abilene |
| Median home value | $161,800 | $250,000 | 54.5% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Median household income | $59,254 | $71,785 | 21.1% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 95.5 | 1.4% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Utilities index | 82.4 | 81.7 | 0.9% higher in Abilene |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 92.3 | 4.6% higher in Abilene |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 92.5 | 3.8% higher in Abilene |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Abilene, you'd need $100,058 in Sioux Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Abilene and Sioux Falls have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Sioux Falls than in Abilene. If you earn $80,000 in Abilene, you'd need about $80,047 in Sioux Falls to keep the same standard of living.