City comparison
Alexandria, LA is about 200 miles (325 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h 15 min 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 Alexandria, LA to Houston, TX takes about 24 min, covering roughly 200 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 45,133 in Alexandria — about 50.9× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Alexandria.
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 | Alexandria | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $928/mo | $1,235/mo | 33.1% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $179,900 | $235,000 | 30.6% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $49,049 | $60,440 | 23.2% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 94.1 | 100.4 | 6.6% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 73.2 | 96.3 | 31.5% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 95.8 | ≈ equal (Alexandria slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.6 | 95.2 | ≈ equal (Alexandria slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Alexandria, you'd need $130,688 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Alexandria, LA is about 23.5% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 87% higher in Houston than in Alexandria. If you earn $80,000 in Alexandria, you'd need about $104,550 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.