City comparison
Albany, GA is about 700 miles (1,100 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 850 miles, or about 14 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 Albany, GA to Houston, TX takes about 1 h 21 min, covering roughly 700 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.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 68,926 in Albany — about 33.3× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 55 sq mi for Albany.
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 | Albany | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $889/mo | $1,235/mo | 38.9% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $111,200 | $235,000 | 111.3% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $43,724 | $60,440 | 38.2% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 100.4 | 4.0% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 88.9 | 96.3 | 8.4% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 95.8 | 3.2% higher in Albany |
| Healthcare index | 98.3 | 95.2 | 3.3% higher in Albany |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Albany, you'd need $125,913 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Albany, GA is about 20.6% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 85% higher in Houston than in Albany. If you earn $80,000 in Albany, you'd need about $100,731 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.