City comparison
Ames, IA is about 850 miles (1,400 km) from Austin, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,100 miles, or about 18 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 Ames, IA to Austin, TX takes about 1 h 41 min, covering roughly 850 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.
Austin has a population of 958,202, vs 66,265 in Ames — about 14.5× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Ames.
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 | Ames | Austin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $1,549/mo | 53.2% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $461,500 | 86.5% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $86,556 | 50.7% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.2 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.8 | 83.2 | 0.7% higher in Ames |
| Transportation index | 93.3 | 96.6 | 3.6% higher in Austin |
| Healthcare index | 93.5 | 96.1 | 2.8% higher in Austin |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Ames, you'd need $126,957 in Austin to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ames, IA is about 21.2% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 72% higher in Austin than in Ames. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $101,566 in Austin to keep the same standard of living.