City comparison
Ames, IA is about 800 miles (1,300 km) from Montgomery, AL 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 Ames, IA to Montgomery, AL 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.
Montgomery has a population of 199,819, vs 66,265 in Ames — about 3.0× larger by population. By land area, Montgomery covers about 160 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 | Montgomery | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $1,026/mo | 1.5% higher in Montgomery |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $141,900 | 74.4% higher in Ames |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $54,166 | 6.0% higher in Ames |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 96.6 | 2.8% higher in Montgomery |
| Utilities index | 83.8 | 85.8 | 2.4% higher in Montgomery |
| Transportation index | 93.3 | 97.0 | 4.0% higher in Montgomery |
| Healthcare index | 93.5 | 96.5 | 3.3% higher in Montgomery |
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 $99,928 in Montgomery to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ames and Montgomery have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Ames than in Montgomery. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $79,942 in Montgomery to keep the same standard of living.